


A Greek Odyssey - Jason Fic

by Mybelle2



Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: Beaches, Concerts, F/M, Falling In Love, Greece, Love at First Sight, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:41:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 49
Words: 98,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29583894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mybelle2/pseuds/Mybelle2
Summary: When Lexi goes on holiday she meets a handsome stranger. Can holiday romance with someone famous last? Please note this story is 18+ and has graphic sexual scenes.
Relationships: Jason Orange/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note this story is purely fictional and does not relate to real life events.

Lexi Willis wasn't very lucky with men. Not very lucky at all..Every time she thought she might have found Mr. Right it turned out he was Mr Not Right Now. The problem was, she always fell for the wrong type of man. Either, he was a bad-boy type and messed her about or he was a wet lettuce once she got to know him better.

She sighed and slammed her bedroom door. Yet another one had let her down, this time it had cost her money too and she wasn't very happy. She'd been going out with Michael for around a year and things seemed to be going OK. He treated her well, but wasn't a doormat and things had been going pretty good. Then suddenly, two months earlier things had started to 'go off the boil', he seemed more interested in going out with his mates than spending time with her and she'd been getting a bit sick and tired of being messed about. He started cancelling at the last minute and turning up for dates late. Worse of all he didn't seem interested in her at all, or what made happy any more.

Lexi sat down on the bed and shook her head with shock, she couldn't quite believe what Michael had done this time – even though now she thought about it the writing had been on the wall for the last couple of months. He'd just rung out of the blue and said it wasn't working and that he wanted to call it a day. He wanted more time to spend with his mates, playing football, going down the pub and playing golf and not having to worry about upsetting a girlfriend. Besides, he'd had the cheek to add on the end that his mum thought she wasn't good enough for her precious little son. How dare he!!

She jumped as there was a loud knock at the door. 'Lexi, are you alright darling?' asked her dad through the closed door.

'No, not really dad. Come in!.' she replied loudly, wiping her eyes with a snotty tissue. She got up and made towards the door, which then opened and her dad Joe came in with a sympathetic expression on his face. He'd had a feeling this was coming. Call it fatherly intuition or something like that. The cancelled dates and her unhappiness had pointed that things weren't right between Lexi and Michael, he also got the feeling from Lexi that Michael's mum didn't like her only boy seeing the fun-loving girl that Lexi was. She'd had ideas that Michael was going to end up with someone in a more highbrow job than Lexi had, which was as a Clothes shop Manager.

Joe sat down on the bed and beckoned Lexi over. 'So I guess it's over is it?' he asked. He couldn't believe that Michael didn't even have the balls to come and tell Lexi in person. He'd wimped out and rang her instead. Joe had a feeling that there may be another girl on the side but he didn't say anything to Lexi as he didn't want to upset her further.

'It is,' she replied blowing her nose loudly into the tissue again. 'I wouldn't mind so much but we're supposed to be going on holiday in 10 weeks time and I paid for it. He hasn't even given me the money, he kept saying he'd give it to me next time he saw me. He was all up for booking the holiday 6 months ago and me paying for it, he's been promising to give me the money for months.'

'Did you ask him for the money when you spoke to him just now?' Joe asked.

'Yes, I did and he said it's not his problem and he's not giving me the money,' and at that point Lexi burst into noisy sobs. 'What am I going to do? I have no-one to go on holiday with, no boyfriend and no money.'

'We'll think of something,' Joe said putting his arm around her and cuddling her tight. 'Things seem bad now, but I promise you, things will sort themselves out and I actually might have a solution to your problems. Leave it with me and I'll see what I can do.' He gave her another hug and sat with her for around half an hour with talk about 'plenty more fish in the sea' and 'you were too good for him anyway', in an attempt to make her feel better.

He eventually left her cuddled up under her duvet and feeling sorry for herself, but at least she was no longer crying and seemed resigned to the fact it was over. Joe was relieved it had happened now, rather than it happening while she was away with Michael. At least Lexi wouldn't be stuck in a foreign place like Turkey, with no-one there to comfort her or look after her.

Around half an hour later James, Lexi's brother came in from work. He was a fair bit younger than her, seven years to be precise. Lexi was 25 and he was 18, but they shared the same dark hair and brown eyes and they were a striking couple when they were seen out together. James was very protective of his 'big' sister and to him she could do no wrong. He went in the kitchen and saw his dad in there getting their dinner ready as Lexi's mum was working late at the hospital where she was a midwife. 'What's up dad?' James asked his dad, seeing how tired he looked.

'Michael finished with Lexi today – by phone, can you believe!' replied his dad shaking his head in disgust.

'He's a wanker!' said James. 'I had a feeling he was going to do this to her, he's been acting really off the last couple of months hasn't he?'

'That's what I thought too,' said his dad. 'The other problem is that her and Michael were supposed to be going to Turkey in ten weeks. She paid the balance two weeks ago and he's been saying he'll give her the money ever since they booked it, but never has. So, she's got to go down the travel agents tomorrow and cancel it, unless we can find someone to take Michael's place.'

'Well, I could go with her dad,' suggested James. 'You know, me and my mates couldn't get our group sorted so I'm not going anywhere at the moment. Maybe she could change Michael's name to mine and I then I'll go. Though aren't you going somewhere the same week as she is?'

'Yes we are, what were you thinking then son?'

'Well, if she changes Michael's name to mine and then we amend to where you're going too. We could have one last family holiday - just the four of us. Where is it you and mum are going?' asked James looking interested.

'We're off to a little place called Finikounda' replied Joe, 'but I'm sure you and Lexi will be bored somewhere like that, it's so quiet. It's full of Greek's, you'll be lucky if you find anyone your age to hang out with. In fact there's probably only a handful of British there. It's virtually unheard of. That's why we go there.'

'I'm sure we'll find something to do. Plus it'll probably do Lexi good to go somewhere different to where her and Michael were going and just get away from everything reminding her of him. What do you reckon?'

'We'll have to discuss it with her and see what she says,' said Joe opening the oven door and letting a jet of steam waft out. 'Good job I made her favourite to cheer her up eh son? You go and call her down for dinner and we'll broach the subject while we have dinner.'

James went upstairs and found Lexi looking utterly miserable. 'C'mon lets get you downstairs and get some food inside you. I bet you haven't eaten all day have you?' he asked her taking in her pale and wan appearance and extremely red nose. 'Me and dad want to discuss an idea with you over dinner which may cheer you up.'

Lexi realised she suddenly felt hungry and was intrigued what they wanted to speak to her about. So she closed the bedroom door and followed James's dark head down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

As Lexi reached the bottom of the stairs she could smell dinner. It smelt like her favourite - Lemon Roast Chicken. She sniffed the air appreciatively and suddenly realised she was famished.

'Hi darling' said her dad. 'Mum's been a bit delayed at work with a difficult birth, she'll be here hopefully within the hour. So I made your favourite as I thought it might cheer you up.'

'Thanks dad, I really appreciate it', she replied with a small smile and sat down at the table with a sigh. Her brother sat down opposite her and flashed a sympathetic grin her way.

'Lexi, he's a wanker that's all I can say. It's really gutless to finish it like that over the phone. I might not be as old as he is but I'd never treat a girl like that - or I hope I never would!'

Joe came into the room carrying the steaming plates of roast Chicken. 'Now, now James,' he said brightly giving James a warning look telling him to shut up. 'We're not here to slag the guy off. The way Michael's gone about things wasn't kind, but what's done is done.'

'Yeah, yeah dad' replied James testily, giving his dad a filthy look.

Joe set the plates down in front of them both 'dig in! before it gets cold'. He remarked, sitting down and started to eat his dinner. 'Lexi, me and James have got an idea which might solve all your problems at once if you're interested.'

'Don't say you've found me another boyfriend, cos I'm not interested' Lexi said with a rueful expression.

James rolled his eyes in Lexi's direction. 'No, I think that's the last thing you need at the moment, luv. Can you make any changes on the holiday still?'

'Yes, as far as I know I can, why do you ask?'

'Well, what about the possibility of me taking Michael's place and then maybe amending the accommodation to the same place mum and dad are going? I'm sure you don't still want to go to the same place you were going with him, do you? Then I'll pay my share of the holiday and we can halve the fees they charge to make the amendment. What do you reckon? James asked.

'I quite like that idea. I could really do with a holiday still and I guess your idea solves all my problems,' she replied, spearing a baby carrot on her fork. 'I was actually sort of dreading it a bit, because he'd told a load of his friends where we were going and they'd gone and booked up down the road from where we were staying. I didn't want to rock the boat at the time by kicking up a fuss, so I just went along with it.'

'Right, well that's your problem solved then isn't it? You get down the agents as soon as you can and we'll get it sorted. I promise you won't have to baby-sit me. I'll be a good boy and behave myself,' he laughed.

'I'm not worried about keeping an eye on you James. I'm more worried about sharing an apartment with you and your filthy habits to be honest.' She retorted, raising an eyebrow at him.

'What do you mean? I don't have any filthy habits! I'm a good boy, me!' He replied, with a look of innocent amazement.

'Well, I can think of a good few actually. How about the time that mum and dad decided to decorate your bedroom when you were 5 years old and when they pulled the bed away from the wall to paint, there was a line of snot where you'd wiped your fingersrather than get out of bed and get a tissue? Or the time where you had an odd fixation with showing everyone how far you could wee standing up - you were caught peeing off the top of the shed and then the same day the neighbour came around with her daughters wet shoes where you'd tried to teach her to wee standing up! She's still known as rusty buckles to this day. Need I go on???'

'Yeah, but that's not recently Lexi, I was 5 years old at the time! I'm now a reformed character he said looking all sheepish and blushing. 'You always drag it out when I bring a girl home too, just to embarass me. No wonder I can't keep a girl, she must think I still do things like that!'

They finished their dinner in a companionable silence and then James went upstairs to get showered as he was off with his mates down the town and Lexi went off upstairs to watch tv. A few minutes later her mum Anna came home and Joe filled her in on their day and especially the developments in Lexi's day. He told her all about the idea they'd had and she whole-heartedly agreed with him that it would be the best thing for her. Not only would she get a rest but she'd be in the best of company to do that.

'Do you want your dinner Anna? Joe asked, putting her dinner in the microwave and turning the dial ready to switch it on.

'No, I'll go up and see Lexi first. She might want a woman to woman chat.' Poor thing's only had you and James to talk to. It can't have been easy for her,' Anna laughed. She knew that sometimes James particularly, could be outspoken and that might not have been the way to make Lexi feel better. Plus, he had a habit of bulldozing his ideas through even if people didn't necessarily agree and she didn't want Lexi agreeing to something just to keep the peace, or because she thought it would please them.

Lexi was curled up in bed in her pyjamas watching Eastenders and looking very pale. 'Hi Alexia', said her mum using her real name, which she was only called when her mum was worried or cross with her.

'Hi mum, how was your day? I hear you had a difficult one today.' Lexi said, sitting up in bed and tucking her dark hair behind her ears.

'Long and difficult darling. Thought we were going to lose the baby today, it was touch and go as it was breach and the mum had gone into labour at 37 weeks. Luckily she was seeing the midwife and the midwife realised the baby was breach and sent her straight up the hospital for a scan to make 100% sure. By the time the poor woman got up to the hospital she'd gone into labour and baby was nearly ready to arrive, so we had to do an emergency caesarean and had trouble getting the baby breathing. But it's fine now, a beautiful baby girl they called Rosie.'

'Oh that's good to hear mum,' Lexi put her arms round her mum. 'Mum, give me a hug will ya?'

'Sure darling' she replied, drawing her only daughter to her into a hug.'It might seem like the end of the world now, but believe me often these things are for a reason and I have a feeling that you are meant for a far greater man than Michael. It's a feeling I have about you, you're far too special to be with a lad who treats you the way he's treated you.'

'Thanks mum, that's really kind of you' Lexi said giving her a wan smile. 'At the moment the last thing I feel like is another bloke, in fact I'm off blokes now for a very long time. I can't be doing with all this messing about with my feelings and trust.'

'You'll feel differently in time hun, I promise, not all men are bad.'

'All the ones I meet are it seems,' Lexi said with a look of regret crossing her face and lay back down in bed, letting out a big sigh.

'One day, things will change I'm sure of that,' her mum answered stroking Lexi's dark hair. 'I have the day off tomorrow shall we go down the agents and change the holiday? Do you want to come away to Finikounda with us and relax? You never know it may help you feel more positive as you'll have something to look forward to.'

'That would be lovely if you wouldn't mind doing that with me, we could then have some lunch in town afterwards couldn't we mum?'

The following morning they were up bright and early and Lexi was feeling a lot more positive about things. They got the park and ride into town as Cambridge was unbelievably expensive for parking and arrived at the agency at around 11.30 am. As she walked in the agent who'd booked the holiday looked up and said 'Oh hello, you must be psychic I was just going to ring you!'

'Oh, why's that?'

'We received a letter today saying that the hotel you and your boyfriend booked has been closed due to health and safety reasons and we needed you to come down and change it for free or get a full refund.'

'That was lucky then, because I was coming in today to cancel my ex off the holiday - we split up, so I've decided to change the place to Finikounda in The Pelopponese - Greece. and My brother is going to take my ex's place - that's if the holiday company I'm going with does it? So that's worked out really well the hotel being closed hasn't it? The agent nodded sympathetically and then went to get the holiday brochure. They found the same complex, the Panorama Resort where her parents were staying, the agent then rang the tour operator and got it all changed over and said they actually owed her £100 because it was a cheaper holiday.

They left the agents feeling in a good mood and Lexi was starting to feel excited now. 'Mum, I'll treat you to lunch with my money shall I? Come on, where do you fancy?'


	3. Chapter 3

Jason put down his earphones and looked quizzically at Howard. 'Was it ok that time?' He was putting down some vocals for the latest track they'd been working on. It was going to be called Flowerbed and he was really proud of it as he'd written most of it all on his own with just a bit of input from the lads.

'Aye, it sounds great to me, mate.' Howard replied, giving him the thumbs up.

Jason breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn't the most confident of blokes about either his vocal or writing abilities. It was Gaz who was the really talented writer and he would loved to have been able to rattle off a tune in an hour, but it just wasn't his thing.

'Great, that's all tied up I think. Now that the album's pretty much written lyrically and my main song done, I can start thinking about booking myself a holiday, before I have to come back and do some harmonies and help tie up the recording.

'Where are you thinking of going?' Howard asked. He loved how Jason always wanted to try somewhere or something "different".

"Believe it or not, Greece.' Jason replied. 'I didn't want to go too far and also the time of year I'm going, it's rainy season in most longhaul places. My brother Josh is coming and a couple of his friends Ben and Calum, we're thinking of renting a villa in the Pelopponese. I went there a few years ago and it's about the only place I've found in Europe where nobody recognises me.

'Oh, why's that then?' Howard asked - he'd never found anywhere like that in Europe and was curious.

'Well, it's 99% of Greek's who holiday there. The odd 1% are either British couples or families and when I went last time I didn't get noticed. The Greek's don't "get" Take That, as you already know from our distinct lack of record sales.' Jason laughed. 'I just felt really at home and relaxed when I went a couple of years ago and I thought it's the ideal place to rest, eat well and get my mojo back.'

'Sounds great,' Howard replied, putting on his jacket and picking up his gloves and scarf ready to go out in the cold, damp weather.

'Yeah, when I get home I'm going to have a look on google at some flights and a villa in the Methoni area so we're close to a place called Finikounda to get supplies when we need them, or just to go out for a quiet drink without being disturbed.'

They both left the studio together, Howard getting onto his bike as he only lived 10 minutes cycle away and Jason to get the underground. He walked down the stairs of the underground with a woollen hat pulled down over his ears and his coat pulled up close to his mouth in an effort not to be recognised. It usually worked a treat, as it did today. He really didn't want to get into a conversation with a fan as he had other things on his mind such as dinner and sorting out his two week break.

Once home, he made a cup of herbal tea and grabbed a cheese scone and sat down at the computer. After about 30 minutes he'd got the flights to Kalamata booked on the only direct flights from Manchester he could find with Easyjet. He'd have loved to "borrow" the group's private plane, but he didn't dare ask as it was for a holiday. He didn't really want to go cattle class on a charter flight, but the only other way was to fly to Athens and then drive 5 hours, which was an even worse idea. So, he booked the flights laughing to himself 'well, if Dougie can manage Sleazyjet when he goes to Ibiza, I'm sure I can manage 3 hours on one of their flights!'

It didn't take long to find a gorgeous villa set on a hillside overlooking the sea between Methoni and Finikounda. It had an infinity pool, panoramic sea views and 4 bedrooms and he knew without showing the lads it would be fine. They all knew how important his privacy was and respected him greatly, so they were happy to leave him to sort everything and then they would settle up money-wise with him.

He then forwarded all the details to his brother Josh, so he knew how much everything was costing. A few minutes later a message came back from Josh saying it looked awesome and thanking him for booking it.

Josh and his friends were all in their early thirties and had all been friends since schooldays. They all got on really well and Jason really liked the two of them. They were good fun to be with and he always felt really relaxed in their company, plus they weren't bothered about his fame and liked him for being him. They'd all gone on holiday two years ago to Thailand and got on brilliantly, so Jason was really looking forward to it. He'd finished The Circus tour a few months ago, then they'd gone straight into the studio to write Progress with Robbie so he was feeling knackered, this break would do him good he felt.

Jason got up from the computer, suddenly noticing it was dark and dinner time. He busied himself in the kitchen making himself a stir-fry and then sat down to eat it. He switched the tv on just for some noise. It was at times like dinner, when he was sitting alone, that he sometimes felt lonely. There had been a few girls over the years, a couple who he'd really liked and even one who he'd been engaged to and lived with, but he'd never felt that he'd fouund the "one" he wanted to settle down with. Sometimes he wondered if he ever would, maybe I'm just too picky he thought to himself, or maybe there is this elusive person out there just waiting for me and I've not found her yet. He shook himself and told himself to get a grip and finished his dinner quickly, the quicker he finished the less he had time to think about being lonely.

The phone rang a few minutes later and it was Josh. 'Hi bro, how you doing? Thanks for the e-mail, how much do we all owe you?'

Jason told him how much it was and reminded him that they'd split the car costs he would book to pick up at the airport, he said he would drive as he pretty much knew the way and the roads were pretty good and not busy in that area of Greece.

'Thanks a lot for organising it Jase, we all appreciate it mate.'

'No problem Josh, I quite enjoy being in charge of it all. You can pay me in kind with a few drinks when we get there.' Jason laughed.

After a few minutes more chatting Josh rang off and Jason headed off to bed - alone.


	4. Chapter 4

A few weeks later..........

Lexi burst through the front door. 'Mum, mum the tickets have come!! I went to get them today from the agents. I collected yours at the same time. Hope that was ok?'

'Oh, hi Alexia! Yes that's great, it saves me a trip down there too. Thanks!' She took the tickets out of Lexi's hand to check that the times were the same as when they booked. 'Oh, that's good it still leaves Gatwick at 9am - so not too early and we should be there just in time for mid afternoon. That's great!'

'I got a couple of nice bikinis while I was in town too and nice sundress, some shoes and a couple of tops for holiday.' She took them out and they spent a few minutes oohing and aahing at the clothes. 'I guess maybe I'd better go and look for some new togs eh? If not you'll make me look a right old scruff, Lexi.' Anna remarked, thinking she could do with some new clothes.

Her mum made them both a cup of coffee and then she got out a map of the area out of the chest of drawers. 'I'll show you where we're going and some of the places we can go and visit in the car if you fancy it?' she said, unfolding the map and laying it on the kitchen table, smoothing the creases out as she did so.

'Yeah, go on then mum,' Lexi replied looking all excited.

Her mum was really pleased to see at long last she was showing some enthusiasm about things. The last few weeks hadn't been easy for any of them, as Lexi alternated between utter misery, anger and relief that she wasn't having to worry what Michael was up to any longer. Towards the end of their relationship, she'd always seemed to be on tenterhooks as to whether he would cancel plans at the last minute.

'Well, that's Voidakilia lake and lagoon, we've definitely got to go there! It's one of the most famous, but unknown natural beauties in Greece. The beach is white and the sea is a clear azure blue. We saw it last time we went and it's so pretty.' Anna tapped the map with a finger near a little town called Gialova. She moved her finger along the map, stopping at another town on the coast. 'That's Koroni, with it's castle and lovely old town - your dad and brother will probably like going fishing there, and we can wander around the shops.' She moved her finger again, past the resort of Finikouda where they were staying. 'That's Methoni, with it's castle and Bourtzi across the walkway, where they kept prisoners. It's got a lovely, little square to sit on and watch the world go by. I have a feeling your poor brother may be bored as it's hardly a clubber's paradise!' she laughed, looking knowingly at Lexi. 'He's definitely going to struggle to find any skirt to chat up around where we're going.'

'I'm sure if there's women to be found, James will find them Mum. You know what a little flirt he is,' replied Lexi giggling.

'Talking of your brother Lexi, he's going out with his mates the night before we fly to Kalamata. I've told him not to drink too much as he has a very early wake up next Sunday morning and I want him bright-eyed and bushy tailed ready to go.'

'Oh I'm sure he'll behave mum, especially if you warn him not to have too much to drink.' Lexi replied, with more conviction than she actually felt. James was a notorious party animal.

A few minutes later James and Joe turned up home from work. They worked together in Joe's carpentry business along with two other carpenters and James was training with him too, hopefully with a view to take over the business (if he ever grew up). Some days he went to college to study, but today he was working with Joe. They got on well most of the time except when James came in to work hung-over and couldn't be bothered to work.

'Hi you two, how was work?' asked Lexi.

'Good thanks,' replied Joe. We got that big job finished so I can now relax when we go on holiday, and leave the rest of the work up to the the other 3.

'Well, the tickets have come today luv,' said Anna. 'Now we can definitely start to think about packing next week and getting things ready to go, eh?'

'Great news!' replied Joe.' I'm really looking forward to it. I really need a rest, the last few weeks have been so stressful at work.'

They all settled down for a family dinner chattering excitedly about the forthcoming holiday and what they were planning to do if possible.

By the end of dinner Lexi was really looking forward to the holiday and had a feeling that she would feel a different woman when she came home.

+++++++

The letterbox clattered just as Jason came down the stairs. The postman dropped the half a dozen letters onto the doormat and Jason bent to pick them up. He noticed that there was an envelope with the airline's emblem on. 'Great, that must be our tickets!' He tore open the envelope and opened out the wallet to check they were ok.

He rang his brother Josh, 'Hi Josh, the tickets came today and the flight leaves Manchester at 8.45am. Tell the lads that I'll pick you up around 5am to go to the airport, is that ok?'

'Yeah, sounds great Jase. Are you all sorted with your money and everything?'

'Yeah Josh, I'm all sorted with spends and I've bought a few new bits like swimming shorts and some tops and as long as I have my guitar I'll be happy anyway,' Jason replied, smiling down the phone. His guitar was his prized possession and he was planning on trying to write some music if he got enough time to himself. He wanted to come back and be able to show the lads that he could write some decent songs that might be considered for the next album.

He rang off and busied himself to get ready to go back down to the studio. His song Flowerbed was now finished and they'd made a small start on some of the other songs with Rob. He knew the lads would be hard at work doing some stuff on the songs while he was away, as Gaz and Mark planned to take a holiday a bit later in August with their families. So he planned to do a bit of work with Rob and maybe Howard, while Gaz and Mark were away. He'd see how it all panned out when he got back, he was pretty relaxed about it all as he knew no big decisions would be made if he wasn't there anyway, regarding the new album or the songs.

Gary was already at the studio when he got there.'Hi Jase, you ok mate?'

'Yeah, I'm fine thanks Gaz. And you?' Jason replied, smiling broadly at him.

'Yes thanks,' Flowerbed's sounding awesome. I think that'll be one we should include for the concerts. What do you reckon?' said Gary.

'I'm glad you think it's good enough Gaz., but I'm not so sure.' Jason glanced unsurely at Gary.

The rest of them burst through the door at that moment. Mark and Robbie laughing and grinning like idiots at something Mark had said and Robbie had Mark's hat perched on top of his head. Hello's were said all around and they got down to listening to some of the ideas and sounds they'd recorded. The chat and banter went on all day while they decided who was going to do what on the record and in which order they were going to do it. Eventually they had more of a timetable for while Jason would be away and what he would be doing on his return.

When Jason got home his answerphone was blinking with a message from Ben to say that he and Calum had got the message from Josh and that they would be ready at 5am the following Sunday. Jason was picking them all up together from Josh's flat in the centre of Manchester and it wouldn't take them long to get from there to Manchester airport. Jason hoped the flight would be ok - he wasn't the best flyer and it was years since he'd been on a low cost flight. He supposed he'd be spending the three hours with his long legs nearly folded around his ears to get in the pokey seats. He laughed to himsef, 'that'll give the stewardesses something to stare at, me trying to get my long legs somehow behind the seat in front of me!'

He went upstairs and started to make a list of things he was going to take. He had a busy week ahead of him with the boys in the studio and visiting family, so he thought he'd better get as much done as possible.

Once he was done, he ticked the things of one by one: shorts, t-shirts, underwear, sun lotion, aftershave, guitar,passport, tickets,money, condoms. 'Hang on a minute, won't be needing those! Can't see some Greek mama or papa letting me anywhere near their daughter,' he murmered. He threw them back in the drawer and slammed it shut, laughing ruefully to himself.

++++++++++

After Lexi had finished dinner, she hopped into her little Mini and backed off the drive. She'd promised to visit her Nanna Daisy before she went away. Lexi and her nanna were very close, her nanna was her dad's mum and very like him. She lived alone in a little warden controlled flat, as her grandad had died quite a long time ago. Lexi tried to visit her nanna every couple of weeks or so, to take her out in her wheelchair for a walk down the shops or for lunch. Daisy had very bad rheumatoid arthritis which meant she couldn't walk far and Lexi's visit were a god-send. She arrived at around 8pm and climbed quickly up the stairs and knocked on the front door.

Her nanna hobbled slowly to the door, 'Oh hi Lexi. It's lovely to see you darling! How's things? Are you feeling a bit happier now?'

'Yes, I am Nan. Thanks. I've started to realise that actually Michael was not good for me and I deserved better. This holiday is the beginning of a new chapter of my life I think, ' she pottered around the little kitchen making them each a cup of tea and getting a plate of biscuits for them both to snack on while they gossiped.

'Listen to me young lady,' her nanna said in a kind tone. 'One day the right man will come along, he'll either come along in smart car, on a white charger, or in a Robin Reliant three-wheeler, but mark my words it will happen. When you meet him you'll just "know" because when you first kiss him your heart will race like it never has before and nothing else in the world will matter apart from him and the moment you're in with him. Do you understand?'

'Yes I think I do nan. I think I loved Michael but he never had that effect on me. I think he'd become a habit rather than the love of my life.'

They sat and drank their tea and ate the biscuits whilst her nanna reminisced about her grandad who had died when Lexi was too young to remember him very well. After a couple of hours Lexi kissed her nanna goodbye and her nanna pressed a £10 note into her hand. 'Buy yourself a drink on me luv.'

'Aww, thanks Nan! Love you lots!'

'Enjoy yourself and make sure you bring me home a Greek toy-boy, ok?' her nan laughed and sent her on her way.

She then made her way back to her car, reversed out of the space and made her way home to make a start on packing a few bits and pieces as she had a full week of work ahead of her.

Unbeknown to her Jason stood in his own bedroom doing exactly the same thing as her at exactly the same time.......


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week was very busy for Lexi, as she made sure all the clothing orders for the following week were made. She also had to go over the ordering system with her Assistant Manager one more time to make sure she knew what she was doing whilst Lexi was away. She also had an area meeting with all the other Shop Managers for her area and their Regional Manager to discuss the coming winter lines and what they should expect to be the fashion trends to be. By the end of the week Lexi was knackered and couldn't wait for her holiday.

On the Saturday night she said she'd get a takeaway Pizza on the way home from work to share with her mum and dad, whilst they finished off packing. She was packed already by the Friday evening, as she knew Saturday would be a busy day and the last thing she'd feel like doing was finishing packing after work

She got home around 7pm and slammed the door shut, then carried the pizzas into the kitchen.

'Mmm, something smells nice,' her dad said sniffing the air as he came into the kitchen. Good day at work?'

'Yes thanks dad. Busy, but it was a good day. I got you and mum a pepperoni pizza and garlic bread, hope that's ok? James out already?' she asked looking around for James.

'Yeah, you just missed him. He's been warned that he must not be late as we have an early plane to catch and he's promised he'll be back by 11pm at the latest.' Her dad replied. 'Though god knows why he needs to go out when he's going away for 2 weeks and will be able to drink every night if he wants to.'

'Well he's only 18, he's just being a typical lad.' Lexi said, thinking that at his age she would have probably been doing the same. She got out the plates for them and poured them all a glass of lemonade.

Once they'd eaten, her parents went to close up the cases and put them altogether in the hall-way ready to grab and put in the car in the morning. Lexi put her suitcase in the hallway and then went into James's bedroom to fetch his case as her mum said he'd told her it was all packed ready. The room looked like a bomb had hit it and his case was hanging open askew on the bed, with clothes spilling over the sides. Lexi sighed and took everything out as he looked like he'd just thrown everything in. She started to fold everything up for him and tidy bits and bobs away into the side pockets. 'What the bloody hell is this?' she exclaimed, picking up a packet of 48 condoms. 'Blimey I didn't even know they sold them in packs of 48!' she laughed softly to herself. 'He obviously thinks he's going to be popular this holiday, he's going to be sorely disappointed,' she quickly put them in the pocket of the case, along with his other bits and bobs and then finished folding and tidying, chuckling to herself at her deluded brother. She then slammed the lid shut and put it in the hallway for him.

They all settled down to watch tv before having an early night, but it got to 11.15pm and there was no sign of James. Her mum rang his mobile and there was no reply. 'Leave it a bit Anna,' her dad said. 'He's probably in the pub and didn't hear the phone, give it twenty minutes and try him again.' 

So Anna left it twenty minutes and tried again and this time it was answered by a slurring voice, 'Yeah, who is it?'

'Who's this?' Anna asked.

'It's Ed,' the slurring voice answered.

'Why are you answering James's phone and where is he?' Anna demanded, now starting to worry where James was and what he was up to. The last thing they wanted was him going AWOL.

'He's here!' replied the voice.

'Where's here???' Anna asked, getting exasperated. After a sigh and a lengthy pause Ed replied that he was one of James's mates from college where he did his carpentry course and that James had asked him out for a drink with his mates. He gave his address to Anna and told her someone needed to come and get James as he was drunk and they couldn't wake him up.

'Right, I'll go get him with Dad!' Lexi said decisively. She was really cross that he'd got himself in a state the night before they went away. When they arrived at Ed's house they banged on the door and eventually Ed sauntered to the door and opened it. He ushered them through to the lounge where James lay prostrate on the floor snoring away, his head lying in an empty pizza box and looking very comfortable indeed.

'How long's he been like this?' her dad asked.

'About an hour Mr Willis.' Ed replied. 'We came back from the pub and got pizza and then he fell asleep. I've tried to wake him, but he's fast asleep.'

Lexi strode over to James and kicked him smartly in the legs. 'Wake up you lazy shit!' she shouted at the top of her voice.

'What! What!' James shouted and sat up quickly, the pizza box still stuck to the side of his cheek, the tomato sauce having left a streak of livid red across his cheek.

'You stupid sod! We're going on holiday in about 4 hours, you selfish, selfish bastard!' Lexi shouted, kicking him in the leg again as he stood up. James hopped up and down, holding his leg and squealing in pain. The pizza box flew across the room as James hopped and landed on top a standing lamp in the corner.

Despite James being bigger than her, Lexi grabbed him by the scruff of the collar in a temper and yanked him out through the lounge door and out the front door into the cool night air. Between her and her dad, they bundled him into the car and drove off home. When they got home Anna was pacing the hall floor waiting and was extrememly angry when she saw the state of him and smelt the booze on him.

'Get yourself off to bed and I'll speak to you tomorrow about this! But I can tell you I'm extremely disappointed with you!'

With that, James staggered up the stairs and fell into bed fully clothed. The rest of them followed suit to try to grab a few hours sleep.

+++++++++

Meanwhile, Jay was pacing his lounge floor. He was all packed and feeling agitated as he couldn't sleep, he was worried he'd fall asleep and not wake up early. So he had a quick shower, then got changed into clean underwear, t-shirt and linen trousers and sprayed himself with a light aftershave. He then made himself a coffee to keep himself awake 'might as well stay awake now', he said to himself. He put the tv on and watched a bit of the news and then when the clock ticked around to the right time, he put everything into the car and made his way through the quiet Manchester streets to his brother's flat.

All three of them were ready and waiting and they loaded the car up and drove to Manchester Airport. They parked easily and then walked across to the terminal building to check in. There were already a handful of people checking in when they got there, but Jason being the organised person he was had got them there only just after the desk opened.

'I'll go first Jay, you just hang behind a bit,' muttered Josh. 'Then hopefully the check in girl won't notice you and try to make small talk when she catches on who you are'. Jason hung back and pulled his baseball hat down slightly over his eyes, hoping no-one would realise that one of the most famous men in Britain was checking in for their flight. Josh was doing well, sweet talking the check in attendant until he handed over all the passports. She took one look at Jay's name and then his picture and her mouth opened into a big fat 'O' and she looked surprised. It wasn't every day you met one of your idols travelling on one of the flights you were checking in.

'Mr Orange could you step forward please, I can't see you with your hat pulled down over your eyes.' she said smirking.

Jason stepped forward, sheepishly lifted the cap slightly and gave her heart-melting grin 'hello darlin'.

'Hello, Mr Orange. I am surprised to see you on this flight. Your seat has been pre-allocated already, but let me see what I can do to see if I can get you some privacy. We can't have you being hassled all the way to Kalamata can we?' She stepped off around the back of the desk and all of a sudden half a dozen female faces appeared from behind the door at the back of the desks, one above the other having a quick peak and a giggle. Then her boss appeared and smiled at Jason.

'It's a pleasure to have you flying with us - you're in luck today as the plane you were supposed to travel on has been changed for one of our large airbuses which normally do the longer routes, which means we have a separate premium section. It won't be of a similar standard to the way you probably normally travel, but it means we can curtain that area off for the four of you. There's only a few seats there and they haven't been allocated as the plane's so large we have spare seats. Is that OK?'

'Oh, that would be lovely if you could do that. I'm not the greatest flier and I'm feeling a bit apprehensive as it is,' he replied, smiling with appreciation and making her giggle flirtatiously..

'Well, I see you've booked into the Executive Lounge so I'll get someone to come and get you and we'll board you first, when we start to let people on. ' she said kindly, giving him a winning smile and then stuck a piece of paper under his nose. 'Would you autograph this for me though first?'

Jason did as he was asked and signed his name with a flourish for her to keep, said thanks and then pulled his cap back down over his eyes. They all picked up their hand luggage and walked away to the bemusement of other passengers waiting, who were trying to work out just who this handsome, unassuming man was.

An hour later they were escorted onto the aircraft first and took their seats ready for take off. 'Well done you!' said Ben,'I think I'll come on holiday with you every year if this is how you get treated!'

The flight taxied out onto the runway and took off into the sunrise just as the clock hit 9am.

++++++++++++++

Lexi woke up bleary eyed in the early hours and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Her mum and dad were pottering about the kitchen making coffees and her mum handed her a cup of steaming brew while she tied her long dark hair into a ponytail.

'Can you go wake James for me please Lexi?' she asked her.

She padded upstairs and woke him up. He stank of booze and stale sweat. 'Quick, get yourself off to the shower James - you really are a fool aren't you?' she snapped, glimpsing his dishevelled state.

He got up holding his head and groaning. 'My head feels like someone's got a hammer going in it!'

She ignored him and shoved him towards the shower, gritting her teeth with anger at how immaturely he'd behaved.

Half an hour later he was downstairs, whinging and moaning about how ill he felt.

'Sorry son, but you deserve it mate,' his dad said unsympathetcially. 'You only have yourself to blame.'

'Yeah, we'll speak later James.' His mum interjected, her tone betraying how annoyed she was with him. 'I'm too tired to discuss your behaviour now.'

They bundled him and the cases in the car and set off on their way, arriving at Gatwick in plenty of time. Checking in was smooth and within two hours they were on their plane awaiting take off on the runway. The clock said 8.50 am, as their plane also took off into the sunrise. Unbeknown to a sleepy Lexi, Jason's plane was just passing Gatwick as they took off heading in the same direction.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexi's plane winged it's way towards Kalamata. It was an uneventful flight, punctuated only by the amazing view of Venice as they neared Greece. The sky was so clear they could make out the city sitting prettily by the side of the lagoon, which was sparkling in the sunlight. They could make out Venice Marco Polo Airport and an aeroplane was making it's way down the runway ready for take off.

James spent most of the flight alternately sleeping and complaining about his throbbing head. At one point he fell fast asleep and everyone around him was laughing because he was snoring like a stuffed pig with his mouth wide open. Lexi was tempted to put her breakfast bread roll in it just to shut him up. He certainly didn't look like the babe magnet he was always boating that he was.

Meanwhile, Jason's flight was just as uneventful until breakfast came. Jason had never experienced a flight meal on a low cost flight. The stewardess bustled in with the food trolley and leant towards Jason 'breakfast?'.

'Ooh, yes please.' he replied, realising how hungry he was, when his stomach rumbled loudly. He'd heard that low cost airline flight meals were awful from his sister who often used them for her holidays. 'Besides,' he murmered to himself, 'it smells ok, it really can't be that bad!' The stewardess put a silver foil square shaped package on his tray with a thing shaped like a roll of paper. He spent five minutes puzzling on what to do with the roll thing until he unfurled it and realised it contained a bag for his rubbish, plastic knives and forks and paper packets of condiments, along with a packet containing a wet wipe. He peeled the foil lid back and recoiled in horror. 'I take it Gordon Ramsay, the famous chef doesn't advise this airline on food then.' He muttered to himself, taking in the omelette, dried up baked beans, a tiny piece of fatty bacon and a sausage which could only be described as having the look of a dried up dog shit.

'So Jase, are you pleased that you insisted we had flight meals then mate?' Calum laughed, taking in Jason's horrified expression. 'That sausage looks like your dick, but your dick's smaller!' All three lads laughed like they were going to wet themselves and Jason looked at them and replied 'do you lot really eat this shit on aeroplanes?'

'Ermm, no mate,' said Ben laughing. 'That's why when you booked the flights we refused to give you the money for the flight meals when you said you'd booked them.'

Jason took a tiny bite out of the omelette which looked to be the only halfway edible part of the breakfast, but gave up. 'I think I'd rather go hungry,' he said to them ruefully. 'Oh, and my dick does not look like that sausage, mines a much bigger specimen than that and it certainly looks a lot prettier too!' Then with a noise which sounded like a humph he closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep, trying to ignore the other three's annoying laughing.

An hour later the captain came on over the intercom and told the stewards that it would be ten minutes to landing which woke Jason up out of his deep sleep. He took a peek out of the window and smiled at the familiar sight of the Taygaetos Mountains in the distance, still with snowy caps sitting on top. The plane landed and taxied to the terminal building which couldn't really even be described as a building. It was more like a glorified shack with a large Greek Air Force building dominating the space next to it.

They got off the plane into the warm, June sunshine. Jason put his sunglasses on and pulled his baseball cap over his eyes again to try to cover as much as his face as possible. They headed off to security, where the passport control lady just waved them through without a second glance at his name or face.

'Josh, I'm just going to take a leak mate.' Jason murmered. 'Will you look out for the cases for us?' Josh replied that he would keep an eye out and Jason headed off to the gents. As he made his way to the toilet he noticed another Easyet flight landing and the intercom came to life announcing the arrival of the flight from Gatwick. 'Bet this must be the busiest this airport gets.' Jason remarked to himself, glancing up as the plane taxied to the stand.

Lexi and her family walked down the aircraft steps into the bright sunshine. James had already said he felt a lot better and made to grab his camera to take a photo of the all the military planes lined up by the runway. 'Don't, you bloody idiot!' his dad shouted, making a grab for the camera. 'Do you want to spend two weeks in a Greek prison? That's what happened to a load of English people who dared to take photos of the planes at this airport a few years ago!' James sheepishly put the camera back in his bag and they filed through passport control. He certainly didn't fancy two weeks locked up – he'd got girls to chat up (or so he hoped).

'I'll get my case dad,' Lexi offered, going to the opposite end of the tiny conveyer belt and getting her phone out of her bag to text her best friend and workmate, Freya.

At that moment Jason came out of the gents and sauntered over to the one conveyer belt in the building, which was being used for both flights at once. He stood behind Lexi with his hands in his trouser pockets. Someone knocked into him accidentally and he took a lurching step forward, towards her straight back. As he stepped forward he caught a whiff of her soft perfume and then noticed the soft, dark tendrils of hair which had escaped her ponytail curling gracefully around her slim, neck. He could see she was in a world of her own texting away for all she was worth. He stood there gazing at her and wondered whether the front view was as pretty as the part he could see. He cast his eyes downwards and took in her small bottom encased in jeans and small feet in their ballerina shoes and smiled to himself and thinking that he bet the front view was lovely looking too.

Lexi suddenly spotted her suitcase, leant forward and yanked it off the belt. 'Let me help you.' Jason leant forward and tried to help her, but she refused his help.

'No, I'm fine thanks!' she said loftily and pushed past him towards the exit, leaving Jason looking after her with his mouth open. The front view was definitely worth looking at he thought. In those couple of seconds where her face had looked at his, he'd caught sight of her chocolate brown eyes, soft dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and high cheekbones with a dusting of freckles. He reckoned she was in her mid twenties in age. He wanted to run after her, but it was too late, she'd disappeared through the crowds. Accompanying her was what looked like a younger brother, who had the appearance of something the cat had dragged home, and what he correctly guessed were her parents. When he eventually located his case they were long gone.

Jason and the boys then went to the car hire depot. Jason was feeling a bit despondent, he wished he'd had the guts to say something more to the pretty girl. They picked up the car and made their way towards central Kalamata to join the road leading to Finikounda and then onwards to just outside Methoni.

Lexi sat next to her brother on the coach as they drove through downtown Kalamata. She was a bit shaken by her encounter with Jason. She hadn't meant to be so offhand with him, but as her brown eyes locked with his dark-fringed azure coloured ones she'd felt her heart flip over in her chest. At that moment in the airport she'd been annoyed at herself for allowing a man to make her feel that way. She shook herself and told herself to get a grip and settled back into the coach seat for the hour and a half journey.

The road wound through small, traditional Greek Villages, clinging onto the sides of sheer mountains. At times she could see the sea glinting through the gaps in the rocks, but she couldn't see much of it until they rounded the bends through the mountains. Then, as they came through the mountain pass, she saw a green valley below her with turquoise blue sea and white sand beaches stretching as far ahead as the eye could see. She could then make out the tiny little village of Finikounda huddled around a small bay just below.

They drew up at their apartment complex a few minutes later and the receptionist gave them their keys to their apartments. 'Good afternoon Mr & Mrs Willis!' she nodded at her mum and dad and then said the same to Lexi and James.

'Eh?' said James, 'do they think we're married?' Lexi shrugged nonchalantly, unsure what they'd meant.

Lexi and James were sharing one apartment and her parents the other, and as they walked up to the apartments they realised they were lucky enough to be next door to each other. Lexi unlocked the door and the door creaked open, she walked into the cool, white apartment and took in the large, open space.

James followed her into the apartment and exclaimed 'Wow, it's huge! But hang on, where's the beds?' Lexi pushed open the bedroom door expecting to see two single beds. but instead there was just one kingsize bed in the middle of the room. 'Bugger, they did think we're married!' said Lexi in horror.

'Oh, bloody hell!' said James 'I'm not sharing a bed with you!


	7. Chapter 7

Lexi recoiled away from James 'Do you think I want to share a bed with you, you dirty pig? Right, I'm straight off to reception there is no way on earth I'm sharing a bed with you!' she marched off to reception with her head held high and when she got there she asked the girl on reception if there was any possibility of changing the double bed for two singles, preferably one in the bedroom and one in the lounge area.

'I'm afraid that isn't possible Mrs Willis,' the girl said apologetically. 'We actually don't have any spare single beds at all, they're all being used in other apartments. I can have a bottle of wine sent up to the room as a way of apology, but surely you'd rather have a double.' she winked naughtily at Lexi - not realising James was in fact Lexi's brother.

'Firstly, I'm not Mrs Willis. I'm Miss,' Lexi stated, looking beseechingly at the girl. 'What about one of those sofa bed kind of things?'

'I'm afraid they're for children Miss Willis, it would break safety regulations if I let you sleep on one. Apologies for thinking you were married. We didn't notice you were a Miss.' She smiled apologetically at Lexi.

'He's my younger brother,' Lexi explained and the woman nodded in understanding but still explained that she couldn't help any further.

Lexi could see she was getting nowhere fast so she said to the girl 'Fine. Send the bottle of wine up. If I have to share with my brother for 2 weeks I'm going to need it!' She stalked back to the apartment in a temper, which showed no sign of abating on the short walk back to the apartment. She threw open the door and saw that James was already making himself at home chucking stuff all over the place.

'Right James. Listen to me! This is how it's going to be, ok?' Grabbing up three pillows she laid them down the middle of the bed. 'You cross this line and you're dead, do you understand?' she said pointing to the line of pillows. 'I won't put up with any of your dirty habits either 'no wanking in the bed, no eating, no drinking and definitely no shagging. Ok?'

James could see she meant business and nodded mutely, thinking to himself that he might be able to sneak a girl or two in and hopefully Lexi wouldn't notice. 'Oh, and James in case you're thinking I won't notice if you bring a girl back for a quickie behind my back when I'm out. I will know!' James's face fell with the realisation that this holiday there was probably going to be a bit of a famine on the girl front.

There was a knock at the door and her dad's voice came through the door 'Everything ok? It's just there's a bit of a racket going on?'

Lexi opened the door and ushered him in and through to the bedroom. 'This is the problem, dad,' she gestured in disgust at the double bed. 'They thought we were married and now we've got to share this bloody double bed. They haven't any singles left!'

Her dad laughed and told her that she was going to have a fun fortnight. 'Rather you than me, dear,' he chuckled and went back next door to regale their mum. All Lexi could then hear was laughing come from through the walls.

Lexi sighed and threw open the shutters, stepping out onto the large balcony. 'Oh my God! she exclaimed loudly. The balcony had panoramic views towards the sea and down towards the village of Finikounda and the town of Methoni further into the distance. It was the most unbelievable view she'd seen from a hotel balcony. Her mum came out on the balcony next door, 'it's something special isn't it?'

'Too right mum, I now see why you love it so much. It's so peaceful here, and what a view!'

'Do you and James want to get changed for dinner and we'll head out early, as we had an early start?'

'No problem mum, I'll go and chivvy him along,' she disappeared back inside to find James on all fours clad just in just his underpants. 'What are you up to now?' she asked in an exasperated tone.

'I dropped the salt on floor, Lexi,' he muttered, trying to frantically scoop the salt back into the pot.

'What the hell are you doing with the salt in here?' she asked, completely flummoxed as to what he was doing.

'I bought it with me to put on my boiled eggs in the morning, in case we couldn't get salt here, except when I took it out of the suitcase the lid popped off and it went everywhere!' he said, shaking his head with irritation.

'Did you think that it's so backward here that they don't have salt here then?' Lexi asked, completely amazed at how stupid James was. She hadn't noticed the salt pot when she sorted out his case in his bedroom back home and if she had she certainly wouldn't have let him bring it!

James looked really sheepish and replied that he didn't think they would have. Lexi told him to go have a shower and proceeded to sweep up after him, shaking her head at his stupidity.

An hour later they were on their way down to the village for dinner. On their way in they passed the little whitewashed houses and small villas belonging to the locals, some tending to their gardens in the evening sunshine.

They headed towards the seafront with it's little cobbled street running alongside the beach, lined with tavernas, kafenions and a couple of pastry shops. There was a distinct lack of discos and just a few bars here and there. They headed to the end of the seafront and decided to go into the taverna at the end and all sat down. The waiter headed over with the menus and after a small discussion they decided to share some starters of Tzatziki, baked feta in foil with peppers and crusty bread and then each ordered their own main meal. The waiter brought over a carafe of white and a carafe of red wine and they ate their meal listening to the waves lapping at the shoreline and watching the sun set in a blaze of orange over the mountains.

By the time they'd finished eating Lexi was feeling more relaxed and had started to forget about the bed incident and the salt. She told her mum all about James bringing salt because he thought they wouldn't have any for his morning eggs. They were all laughing and poor James was protesting that he'd never been to Greece and he was worried he might starve.

He got up and said to Lexi he was going for a paddle in the sea as they were all pissing him off. Lexi got up and followed him. 'I'll come with you, sorry to tease you - am I forgiven?' James huffed and nodded in answer to her. They walked down the wooden steps and straight onto the sand and then made for the sea. Lexi had to hitch the sides of her skirt under her knickers so she didn't get it wet and they spent half an hour just paddling in the shallow, warm water and splashing each other. It was idyllic and Lexi felt herself at long last start to relax and enjoy herself.

++++++++

Jason, Josh, Ben and Calum had arrived at the villa a few hours earlier and stopped for provisions at the supermarket just outside Finikounda. They had then made their way onto the villa, which was just between Finikounda and Methoni. They arrived by 4pm and the boys were amazed at the size and where the villa was, with it's fantastic sea views towards Methoni and it's castle and it's huge infinity pool with barbeque next to it.

They decided to have a barbeque that night as they were all quite tired and didn't fancy going out for a meal. Jason unpacked his clothes and toiletries and then put on his swimming shorts and dived into the pool with a graceful dive. He swam thirty laps in quick succession and after he'd finished got out, water droplets clinging to his slim body and dried himself down with one of the towels the villa had provided.

Josh came out carrying a beer for Jason and they clinked glasses. 'Cheers Jase, thanks for sorting this all out mate. It's absolutely breathtaking here.'

'No problem, it's a pleasure! Do you want to help me with preparing the barbeque food mate?' Jason asked, pointing towards the kitchen.

'Yeah, I'll give you a hand.' Josh replied, heading back towards the villa's kitchen. It was ultra-modern with all the modern conveniences, so it didn't take them long to rustle up a salad, sliced bread, new potatoes and put the steaks and fish on the barbeque.

Once the dinner was ready, they all sat by the pool and ate their dinner with the sun setting over the mountains in front of them in an orange haze. Afterwards, they sat in the dusk light, chatting for a couple of hours and made plans for the following day to spend it sunning themselves around the pool. 'What shall we do tomorrow night then?' Calum asked them all.

'Dunno mate,' replied Jason. 'What do you fancy?'

'I saw a poster on the way through Finikounda pointing up the hill towards a restaurant. I bet the views will be great and we can enjoy the sunset and have a nice meal maybe.'

'Oh, I didn't see it, what was it called?' Jason asked.

'Panorama I think,' Calum replied scratching his chin while he recalled the name.

'Oh I know the one,' Jason said. I didn't eat there last time, but I heard from a local last time that it had a good reputation. I just never got around to going. We'll give that a go then shall we?' The rest of them all nodded in agreement.

+++++++++++

After their paddle in the sea, Lexi and James went back up to the restaurant to let their feet dry and they discussed what they were going to do the following day. Lexi and James decided they were going to head off down to the town beach and have a swim, sunbathe and a spot of lunch and Anna and Joe said they wanted to stay up at the complex's pool, as it was quiet during the day because the Greeks were all at the beach.

'What do you fancy doing tomorrow night then?' Joe asked. 'At least we shouldn't be too tired tomorrow night should we, once we've had a decent night's sleep?'

'Well, the restaurant at our place looks nice,' replied Lexi.' I bet the sunset from the balcony where the tables are is awesome as it's high up - I guess that's where they came up with the name "Panorama", due to it's incredible sea view. I think I saw a poster in reception saying they had a bit of Greek music too tomorrow night, it should be a laugh. Maybe they'll be smashing plates and dancing, you never know,' Lexi laughed.

They all agreed that this sounded a great idea and so it was decided that's what the plan of action was for the following day and evening.

'Right, it's 11pm - we're heading back'. Joe said, stifling a big yawn.

'I think I'll do the same.' Lexi decided. James didn't want to be all on his own so he said he'd come back too and watch a film maybe in bed.

They headed back through the quiet moonlit streets, stopping off at the little supermarket to get a few things for breakfast and some bottled water and then went up the hill to their apartments.

Lexi sat on the balcony for a little while before she went to bed, with a glass of the wine which the hotel had left in their room as way of apology. She admired the view across the sea to Methoni with it's glittering lights in the distance. She felt like a huge weight had lifted off her shoulders and she realised she hadn't thought about Michael in quite a long time. Maybe at long last she was getting over him.


	8. Chapter 8

The following morning Lexi woke up at around 9am and went out on the balcony. There was still a little bit of a nip in the air and she shivered as she stood there in just her short nightie. The cockerel in the farm next door was crowing away for all he was worth and it was this noisy blighter that had awoken her she realised. She could just make out a couple of small fishing boats coming into the harbour with their day's catch to sell at the harbourside to the locals, tourists and the taverna owners. She went back inside and pulled the door closed behind her so James didn't get awoken by the crowing cockerel and got into the shower.

After her shower she busied herself in the kitchen getting some breakfast for them both using some of the welcome pack the apartments had given them. She put two eggs on to boil for James. 'Can't have him missing his eggs, seeing as he went to so much trouble getting the salt here,' she laughed softly to herself at his antics the previous night. Moments later James appeared from the bedroom scratching his head. 'Your eggs will be ready in a few minutes, you've just got time to have a quick shower if you want one.' Lexi said, pouring herself some fruit juice and popping a croissant onto a plate for herself. She then walked out onto the balcony to eat her breakfast and leave James to sort the remainder of his breakfast out. Surely he couldn't make a mess of that? She decided.

Around ten minutes later James appeared on the balcony with his breakfast. 'So, we're off to the beach today Lexi?' he asked her, taking a bite of his bread which she'd carefully sliced for him whilst he was in the shower.

'Yeah, we'll go down in around half an hour. Is that ok with you James?'

'Yes, I'll be ready' he replied, sprinkling salt on his boiled eggs from his precious salt pot.

Lexi disappeared next door to let their parents know that they were going down the beach and that they'd see them later. They'd only just got up and were also sitting on their balcony eating their breakfast in the morning sunshine.

Half an hour later they were on their way to the beach. Lexi just had a beach bag containing hers and James's towels, suncream, a book and a bottle of water. James was laden down like he was going to the beach for a week. He was carrying a bucket and spade, a huge shark float already inflated, goggles and a snorkel. He'd have worn his flippers on his feet to walk down the beach Lexi reckoned, if she'd have let him.

'Honestly, it's like taking a tiny kid to the beach James!' Lexi said, in an exasperated tone to James who was trying to balance everything, so he could carry it the 800 metres or so to the beach.

'Well, I might get bored!' he replied testily. He wasn't a lad who could just lay in the sun reading a book, he had to be "doing" something all day.

They set off and by the time they arrived at the beach they were already hot and sweaty. Lexi stripped off her t-shirt and shorts and ran straight into the sea wearing her pretty pink bikini. James followed suit and they spent an hour swimming and splashing around in the water. Lexi drew plenty of admiring looks from the local Greek lads, with her long dark hair which she had piled loosely on top of her head. With her light tan and fantastic figure she was completely unaware of how pretty she was, which made her seem all the more attractive.

After they'd dried off on the beach sitting on their towels, they went for lunch in one of the beachside cafes as it was getting too hot to stay out in the lunchtime sun. Lexi stayed in the shade of the cafe for another couple of hours reading her book whilst James messed about in the sea. She kept telling him to come in as he was starting to look a bit pink, but he kept waving her concerns away and insisting that he was fine.

At around 5pm they walked back to the apartments and James was looking as red as a lobster and didn't seem his usual talkative self.

'Everything alright James?' Lexi asked him. She was concerned because of the colour he now was and how quiet he had suddenly gone.

'I don't feel so hot Lexi, I think I had too much sun today.' he replied.

When they got back James went straight to bed, complaining that he felt awful. Lexi left him alone to get some sleep and disappeared next door to tell their mum and dad about their fun day. By the time she got back an hour later James was shivering and shaking in bed and being sick.

'Looks like you have sunstroke James,' Lexi said shaking her head. 'I told you to come in out of the sun! I'll go call out the doctor for you mate. Bang goes our lovely night out tonight!' she then disappeared off to reception to get them to call the doctor out.

++++++++++++

Jason and the three lads had had a nice, relaxing day swimming and kicking a ball around by the pool. At one point during the day Jason went off down the supermarket in Finikounda to stock up on food and beers, but apart from that they didn't do much at all.

At around 6pm Jason headed off to have a shower ready for their meal out that night. He stepped into the shower cubicle and soaped himself down. 'Not looking too bad for an old man,' he laughed to himself, as he caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror as he got in the shower. He tried to keep himself in trim by visiting the gym once or twice a week and swimming whenever he could. He knew he would have to step up the fitness routine next year when they toured with Robbie, so he could keep up with Howard. Jason was well aware that Howard was the one in the fittest condition at the moment and he didn't want to look unfit next to him when the concerts started.

Jason stepped out of the shower and quickly dried his hair, putting a bit of gel in it and then picked out a fairly smart t-shirt and casual combat trousers. Pleased with how he looked he then went back outside to the patio by the pool to have a quick beer whilst he waited for the others to get ready.

By around 7.30 they were all ready to go out, so Jason finished up his beer and threw Josh the car keys. 'You'd better drive tonight mate, I've had a couple of beers and to be honest I wouldn't mind a couple of glasses of wine with dinner to wind down. Is that OK?'

Josh nodded in agreement. He didn't mind driving tonight, it wasn't often that Jason said he fancied a few drinks as he was usually on some health-kick so he was happy to have a tee-total night.

They all jumped in the car, Josh started the engine and they turned onto the main road running through the hills between Finikounda and Methoni. It took around 10 minutes to arrive into the outskirts of Finikounda and as they came into the village they slowed down, knowing that the restaurant was up a little side road on the hill behind the resort. They found the sign easily enough and slowly drove up the road in case they met another car coming the other way, past small houses with little flower gardens and vegetable plots.

At the top of the hill they turned into the small car park, parked up and the lads walked down the steps leading to the restaurant. The restaurant was positioned next to the large pool which had the same panoramic views as the restaurant. Both were on a large terrace overlooking the resort and with fantastic sea views. They found a table overlooking the view right next to the wall so they could see the sunset and watch the boats sailing past in the distance and the waiter hurried over with a menu. 'We are also doing a barbeque if you prefer, with swordfish steaks or chicken souvlaki gentlemen.' he said, gesturing with his hand to the barbeque in the corner. After a quick discussion they all decided to opt for the barbeque and ordered Greek Salad and oven roasted potatoes to go with it, along with a carafe of red wine between them all.

The waiter brought the wine over and they all poured themselves a glass 'Cheers lads!' said Jason. 'I really feel like this holiday's starting properly now, especially now we've had a decent night's sleep, if you know what I mean? I feel really relaxed and I think we're going to have a great time.' They all nodded in agreement and said "cheers" back.

++++++++++++++++++

Back at their apartment just above where Jason and his friends sat, Lexi looked at Anna. 'So, what are we going to do mum?' she asked. She really didn't want to spend the evening in James's company with him whinging and throwing up when it was all his own fault in the first place. She wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic towards him, if he'd have listened to her when she'd suggested coming in out of the sun then he probably wouldn't be in this state.

Her mum dithered about leaving her "poor baby" for a few minutes and then said; 'why don't you and dad go down to the restaurant and have a drink, then when you've finished your drink can you order me the swordfish with chips and Greek salad and come and get me? I just want to make sure he's ok before I leave him.'

Lexi disappeared into the bathroom and had a quick shower, shaved her legs and under her arms, washed her hair and then dressed swiftly in a pair of white capri pants and a white top sprinkled with purple flowers. She tied her hair back in a thick plait and sprayed a little of her favourite perfume "Very Irresistible" on her wrists and neck. Once she was done, she applied a little mascara, blusher and some lip-gloss and she was good to go. 'Not quite Liv Tyler, but you'll do,' she said to her reflection in the mirror, referring to the actress who was on all the perfume ads for the one she was wearing.

There was a soft knock at the door and when she opened it Joe stood there. Ready to go for some dinner young lady? You look lovely. Very summery!' he complimented her, taking in the pretty outfit she was wearing.

'Thanks. Yes I am hungry,' she replied, closing the door softly and leaving her mum inside with James.

'Hang on Lexi, you're not quite ready,' her dad said with pride in his voice, as he bent over the edge of the balcony. He picked a couple of small blooms from the purple bougainvillea plant growing there and tucked it in her hair. 'That's it. Perfect!'

They reached the restaurant a minute or so later and sat down at the only table now free which was the other side of the barbeque, out of sight of Jason and the rest of the boys. The same waiter who'd served the boys came over and brought her dad a glass of retsina and Lexi a glass of local village white wine. Lexi took a large swallow of the cold liquid which tasted delicious, murmering her appreciation. After they had finished their drinks the waiter took their order and rushed off to give it to the kitchen and the barbeque. Lexi disappeared upstairs to fetch her mum and found James looking a little brighter, though still lobster red. The medicine the doctor had given had obviously started to have some effect. Anna felt much happier leaving James as he was feeling a bit better, so she made her way down to the restaurant with Lexi feeling more relaxed.

The dinner soon arrived and it was delicious. They chatted contentedly about what they fancied doing the following day, but decided to see how James was feeling before they made concrete plans. Once dinner was finished Lexi noticed the sun was setting over the mountains. 'I'm going to go over by the wall and watch the sunset, is that ok?' They both nodded that it was fine and Lexi picked up her half-full wine glass and wandered over to the wall to sit down and admire the view. The view was gorgeous, with the sun setting on one side and the lights over in Methoni on the other side beginning to twinkle in the dusk light.

Lexi walked straight past Jason and the others at his table chatting animatedly and looked in their direction. The one with dark hair looked familiar, but she couldn't think why, so she hurried past and sat a few metres away with her back to them.

Jason's eyes wandered over to the wall and he caught a faint whiff of her perfume again. The back view was the same one he'd seen at the airport and he recognised the curve of her neck where the tendrils were escaping from her plait. At that moment he made up his mind he was going to speak to her and got up. 'Scuse me lads', he said in a determined voice. I'll be back in a mo,' picking up his wine glass, he made his way over to the wall to speak to her.


	9. Chapter 9

'Not so fast mate!' Calum called out, standing up too and looking over in Lexi's direction. 'I saw her first! Besides, the last thing you need is a woman in your life, you're so busy!' before Jason could act, Calum was over to Lexi like a dog on heat.

'Err hi, you enjoying the view?' heasked, interrupting her thoughts and kicking himself at the same time for such a naff chat up line.

'Pardon?' Lexi jumped, she'd been so lost in her own little world she didn't hear him walk up to her.

'I said, enjoying the view?'he asked again, grinning away at her like a Cheshire cat.

'Yes thanks,' Lexi replied and turned away from him. She really couldn't be bothered with some random bloke, who looked slightly worse for wear. Besides, he really wasn't her type. He had strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes with blonde, almost white eyelashes and was the colour of milk.

Calum wasn't going to let it drop at that. He tried to ignore the sniggers from Ben and Josh on the table nearby, who were enjoying watching him crash and burn so publicly. Jason didn't join in, he was extremely pissed off and trying to work out a way he could try and remove Calum without being too obvious and talk to her. Calum tried once again to engage her in conversation. 'So, have you been here long then?'

'I got here yesterday,' she replied, her tone short, not even bothering to look at him, hoping that he would take the hint. She had sworn before she went on holiday that she was having nothing more to do with a man for quite a while and she intended to do her best to keep that promise to herself if she could.

Calum stood there for a couple of minutes looking at her back which was swivelled away from him, not knowing quite what to do. He really didn't want to go back to the table as he knew Josh and Ben would take the piss, but eventually he didn't have much choice as she was making it obvious she wasn't interested.

Calum stalked back to the table and sat down, crossing his arms in a temper. 'She's a right snotty bitch, either that or she's frigid!' he said to Ben and Josh, who were enjoying themselves immensely at his discomfort.

'Calum, that's really harsh mate!' said Jason. 'She's probably got her reasons that she doesn't want to talk to you. More than likely because she doesn't fancy you! You were hardly subtle over there were you?'

Calum shrugged. 'Her loss!' He wasn't used to girls making it quite so obvious that they didn't fancy him.

Jason was toying with the idea of what to do next - he really didn't want to humiliate himself in public if she treated him the same way as she'd treated Calum. He looked over at Lexi who was just getting up from the wall and picking up her empty wine glass and thought to himself how pretty she was. As she passed their table she looked right at Jason and he smiled at her. She looked surprised and gave a small smile and headed back to the table where her parents were still sitting.

'What was that all about with that lad, Lexi?' Her mum asked her, arching an eyebrow whilst Lexi stood at the end of the table getting her things together.

'He'd had one too many I think mum and thought he'd hit upon me.'

'I take it you didn't fancy him then?' Anna laughed, knowing full well that he was the complete opposite to the type of bloke Lexi liked.

'God, no mum! He looks anaemic for a start!' Lexi replied shaking her head.

Anna glanced across at the lads table and said; 'What about the tall dark haired one then? He's a bit of alright isn't he?' sheasked, nodding a head in Jason's direction as he got up from the table and headed for the bar. She had no clue that Jason was one of the most famous and so called eligible men in the UK.

Lexi glanced across again at the table. 'I suppose so mum, but you know I'm off men for the time being. I really can't handle another relationship at the moment. Besides, if his mate's anything to go by he'll be a complete dick-head too!' she then leant forward towards her dad and gave him a peck on the cheek and did the same to her mum. 'I'm going to bed, I'm really tired. See you in the morning. Ok?'

Her parents nodded good night to her and she wandered back through the gardens to their apartment. The air was heady with the smell of the flowers and the crickets were chirruping away for all they were worth. She took a deep sniff and inhaled the air and smiled to herself at the thought of Calum trying to hit on her - he certainly hadn't expected the reaction she'd given him. She got the feeling he thought he was a bit of a babe-magnet.

Anna finished her glass of white wine and looked at at Joe 'Do you want one more before bed?'

'Yeah, that would be nice.' He replied, smiling at her in answer. 'I'll have a Metaxa 5* and a coffee actually.'

She headed off to the little bar at the side of the restaurant to get their drinks. Jason was standing at the bar, waiting for his drinks and as there was a gap next to him she squeezed in next to him and he moved sideways slightly to give her more room and gave her a dazzling smile. She smiled back at him, thinking he was even more gorgeous close up and that even Lexi surely wouldn't be immune to a smile like that.

'Have you got enough room to get to the bar?' he asked politely, looking down at her.

'Yes thanks,' she replied, giving the barman the order of two coffess and a brandy for Joe. 'Have you had a nice meal?' she asked him.

'Yes, it was really good. I think we'll come back again,' he said, as he handed over the money for their drinks to the barman and then he turned to look Anna full on. 'Is that dark haired girl your daughter?'

'Yes she is. Why?' Anna asked, surprised at such a direct question.

'It's just you look quite similar,' he remarked with another winning smile, then laughed as he thought about Calum's livid face. 'It's the first time I've seen Calum lost for words.'

'I don't think she's in the mood for being chatted up like that.' Anna said. She wasn't about to go into the reasons with a complete stranger, but she felt that maybe Lexi had been a bit rude judging by the expression she'd glimpsed on Calum's face.

Jason was curious as to why Lexi had been "off" with Calum, but didn't feel it was his place to ask the reason why. They chatted for a few more minutes and the barman then came over and handed them a flyer. Anna turned it over and saw that it was advertising an event they would be holding at the restaurant the hotel also owned down on the seafront in two nights time. It was a night where they would make traditional Greek specialities for people to try and there would be a live band to celebrate a Feast Day for the village's patron saint.

Anna knew that Joe, Lexi and James would be up for it, so she said to put their names down. Jason knew this might be the chance he was looking for to try to talk to Lexi again so he quickly signed his name below Anna's as well as Ben's, Calum's and Josh's. Jason then bid his goodbye to Anna saying he might see her in a couple of days and disappeared off with the drinks for them all.

Anna watched his retreating back as he disappeared out of the bar and thought he seemed a really nice bloke. Certainly not the "dickhead" that Lexi had said she thought he'd be like. She really hoped that Lexi would get over this idea that all men were off limits and maybe give one a chance soon to get under her skin and treat her the way she deserved.

The barman brought her the coffees and brandy over and she paid him, then headed off outside to Joe who was waiting at the table for her. 'Come on, drink it quickly!' she said, setting the drinks down in front of him. 'I have plans for you tonight and they involve me, you and a tub of chocolate body paint!'

Joe smirked and couldn't down his drink quickly enough.


	10. Chapter 10

James woke up and gingerly waggled his head about to see if it still ached. By the time he'd fell asleep last night his head had still been banging like there was a jack-hammer stuck in it. Thankfully the banging had stopped and he no longer felt sick either, he just looked like a lobster still. The medicine must have helped that the doctor gave him, he thought to himself. In fact, he realised how hungry he was as his stomach growled loudly. He slithered out of bed carefully so as not to disturb Lexi who was lying on her stomach fast asleep, looking like she didn't have a care in the world. He pottered about the kitchen putting his eggs onto boil and slicing a slightly stale loaf from the day before to toast. He didn't notice he was leaving a trail of crumbs everywhere, all over the worktops and some all over the floor. He was feeling rather pleased with himself that he was getting his own breakfast with no help. He stuck the bread on to toast and then disappeared into the bathroom for a shower. Lexi was awoken about 5 minutes later by the smoke alarm going off as James had completely forgotten the toast and the eggs were boiled dry.

She rushed into the kitchen and found a scene of mayhem and James whistling away in the shower, trying to compete with the cockerel next door, which yet again was crowing for all it was worth.

She quickly switched the toaster off and removed the eggs from the hob, wafting a tea towel frantically until the alarm stopped screeching loudly. Pushing the bathroom door open, she called through the gap. 'James your breakfast's ready!' No answer. In the end she yanked the shower curtain back and repeated herself again.

'Oi you! What do you think you're doing, you perve!' he shouted, immediately cupping his naked dick so she couldn't see it.

'Feeling better then bro?' she asked him, taking in that apart from the livid red colour he did indeed look much better.

'Yeah, I feel much better. I'm just really sore where I got sunburnt'. he replied, indicating all the red patches which were pretty much everywhere whilst simultaneously trying to hide his nakedness from her.

'Great! Well you can sort out the trail of crumbs in the kitchen before we're over-run by ants and think about scrubbing the burnt pan where you let the eggs boil dry, if you're feeling so well,' she said smartly, before letting the shower curtain drop back into place.

After breakfast Lexi decided to go out for a walk to explore the area, so she set off at around 11am and wandered along the main road which ran behind the resort and out towards the towns of Methoni and Pylos. There was a fairly fresh breeze which stopped her getting too hot and she made sure she had plenty of lotion on to stop her shoulders burning. 'Can't have two of us being ill on one holiday with sunstroke,' she laughed to herself. 'Mum's got enough to contend with having James around.'

She must have walked at least 4 kilometres when she realised she was starving hungry so she headed down a little pathway where she could see the sea glinting through the trees. She then headed back in the same direction she'd come, back towards Finikounda but along the beach path instead. After about half an hour she found a tiny taverna with wooden chairs and stopped for some lunch and a read of her book she'd brought with her. It was a very peaceful spot there under the plane trees with the odd yacht sailing by and windsurfers on the water and with her IPOD playing the new album by the group Hurts on her earphones. She was feeling thoroughly contented and full after her lunch.

Suddenly a voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up, annoyed at being disturbed. 'Is this chair free? It's just that the other tables are taken,' he gestured around the small taverna. To her amazement in the 45 minutes or so that she'd been sitting there she hadn't noticed it was now full, with locals eating and drinking, she'd been so much in a world of her own. She nodded and said; 'help yourself.'

'Thanks. I will,' he replied and sat down on the chair, pulling it closer to the table. The waiter came straight over and he ordered a Tuna salad and a beer and then reached in his bag, pulled out a book and started to read it, completely ignoring her.

Lexi was confused, it looked like he didn't want to make small talk. She sat back in the chair and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He had his sunglasses on and looked like he was avidly reading a fascinating novel. She had to admit now he was close up, he was seriously hot looking - even if he was a bit older than she'd normally go for. She sat for around ten minutes, watching him discreetly, thinking how cute it was when he licked his lips and they were seriously sexy lips too.

+++++++++++

Around two hours earlier...............................

Jason woke up. He could feel the affect of the booze he'd had last night. His mouth felt like sandpaper and he felt like he'd spent the night tossing and turning. He'd dreamt about Lexi, and he couldn't seem to get her out of his head and it confused him. When he met a girl they didn't infiltrate his sleeping moments too - especially one he'd only seen twice - and of those times it was just a fleeting glance.

He had a quick shower to try to waken himself up and went down to the kitchen for breakfast. The other three were already there and Ben and Josh were still teasing Calum about his disastrous encounter with Lexi.

'So.....' he said, pouring some cereal into a bowl and sprinkling some walnuts over the top. 'What's the plan for today?'

'Dunno' replied Josh shrugging his shoulders. 'What do you fancy doing?'

'I fancy going up to where we were last night and having a swim in the pool and do some sunbathing, what do you reckon?' Jason suggested, trying to look like the idea had just come in his head and that he had an entirely innocent reason to go there.'

'Nah!' I don't want to meet snotty britches! snapped Calum, his face clouding in annoyance. The others said they fancied a change to the villa pool and scenery and eventually talked Calum around, saying that he wouldn't have to even speak to Lexi if he didn't want to.

An hour later they were on their way to the apartments and arrived around 10 minutes later. Jason's heart was beating faster as he descended the steps leading down to the pool. He had no actual plan formulated in his mind what he was going to do if Lexi was there. He glanced over to the bar area and was disappointed to see Anna, Joe and James there, but no sign of Lexi.

'Oh Hi!' Anna called, spotting Jason and his friends coming down the steps. 'Fancy seeing you here again, come and take a seat and have a drink with us.' Ben, Josh and Calum said thanks, but they were going to get straight in the pool to cool down, so Jason wandered over to the table on his own and said hello to them all. He discreetly tried to look around to see if he could spot Lexi, but couldn't see a sign of her anywhere. Anna saw him quickly scan the area and had a feeling he was trying to see if Lexi was around.

'Come on Jason, give me a hand getting some more soft drinks.' Jason followed her into the bar.

'So where's your daughter then?' he asked, as they walked up to the bar.

'Lexi you mean?' she replied, glancing at him as he went a bit pink in colour and nodded. 

So that was her name, Lexi. He rolled it around in his head liking the sound of her name.

'She told James she was going for a walk towards Methoni area. She left around 11am so she's probably halfway there by now,' she shook her head. 'Rather her than me walk in that heat. She must be mad!'

'How come she and James are on holiday with you?' Jason asked, and then looked embarrassed in case she thought he was being too forward.

Anna proceeded to tell him how it had come about and what she'd been through with Michael. 'Please don't tell her what I've told you Jason, she'd kill me. She's really off men at the moment and that's why she gave your friend such a hard time last night. He was so obviously hitting on her, she just panicked I think.'

'Oh, I see.' Jason replied, nodding his head in understanding. 'Can I ask you a question?'

'Yes, what do you want to know?'

'I like Lexi's spirit and I'd really like to get to know her, if she'll give me the chance. Do you think she might like me if she got to know me?'

'Do you know what I really think Jason?' she asked him, looking straight at him.

'Go on...' he said, looking at her straight back in the eye, a little worried what she was going to say.

'I think she's pretty much over Michael and needs someone who'll treat her like she deserves to be treated,' she replied with a small smile. 'It's just she doesn't realise that's what she needs - stubborn madam that she is.'

'Do you think it's worth my while going to find her then?' he asked, his heart thumping in his chest.

'Yes, I do Jason. But and this is a big but, don't go in there all guns blazing like your friend did or you'll come out of it in a similar way to him.'

Jason didn't need to hear any more. He kissed her on the cheek and thanked her and then ran off outside and grabbed his bag, heading up the steps two at a time.

'Jay, where are you off to in such a hurry?' Josh shouted.

'I'll tell you later!' Jason replied, shouting over his shoulder.

He walked up the main road for an hour and couldn't see her and tried to think what she would do at this time of day. It was 1pm and she must be getting hungry. There was nowhere in sight really, apart from the road stretching towards Methoni into the distance for another 5 miles or so. Then he spied the walkway towards the beach and headed down there. He hoped his instincts were right and he was rewarded at the end by a small taverna. He walked past it not expecting her to be in the first place he found, but there she was sitting with her earphones on, head in a book and looking like she didn't have a care in the world.

'Right my son, play it cool here or you're going to blow it,' he said quietly to himself, took a deep breath and went up to her 'Is this chair free?' he asked, thankful that it was the only spare seat in the place.


	11. Chapter 11

Jason was quite enjoying his little game of playing it cool. He kept his sunglasses on because it meant he could watch her without her realising. She obviously thought he was avidly reading in his book, but in fact he was watching her eye him up surreptitiously for at least 10 minutes. He smiled to himself and hoped that it was working to his advantage and that eventually curiosity might get the better of her.

The waiter came over and brought his Tuna salad and put it in front of him with a basket of fresh bread. Jason picked up his fork and put the book down on the table so he could eat his lunch. He took off his sunglasses, Lexi didn't look away quickly enough and he looked straight at her 'want some of my bread?'

Lexi flushed when she realised that she'd been caught red-handed eyeing him up and quickly looked away saying in a frosty voice 'no thanks I've just eaten.'

Jason shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was her loss and started to eat his lunch. He deliberately didn't look at her or talk to her and looked out to sea while he ate. When he'd finished the waiter came over and took his plates away and asked if they wanted another drink and Jason replied that he'd like a beer and gestured towards Lexi, 'do you want anything?'

'I'll have a white wine, she replied. There was no way she was going to let him think that she was affected by him sitting there. The waiter brought the drinks over and she realised he'd assumed she wanted a half litre carafe instead of a glass. 'Oh well I can have a couple of glasses and then walk back,' she thought to herself.

'Cheers!' said Jason's voice, breaking into her thoughts and without thinking she replied the same to him. He then resumed ignoring her, pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes again and looked out to sea.

Lexi finished the first glass having spent the whole time wondering when or if he was going to speak to her, in the end she started to think to herself that this was a bit stupid them both sitting here like this, on the same table and not speaking. She poured herself another glass and noticed he'd drunk his beer.' Do you want a glass?' she asked him, pointing to the carafe.

'Ok,' he replied and gestured the waiter over asking him for another wine glass. Lexi poured him a glass and sat back in her chair and looked at him. 'So, did you walk here from where you're staying?

'Erm, yes,' he lied, crossing his fingers and hoping that Anna wouldn't drop him in it. It would definitely freak Lexi out if she knew he'd followed her all the way here. 'We're renting a villa on the way to Methoni.'

By now the alcohol had started to loosen both their tongues and so Lexi was starting to feel more relaxed.

'So who are those lads you're with then?'

Jason explained that Josh was his younger brother and that Ben and Calum were Josh's friends and as they'd all been at a loose end they'd decided to holiday together.

'I find it very hard to believe a man who looks like you would be at a loose end,' Lexi interjected, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror at what she'd just said. She blushed beetroot red and hung her head in embarassment.

'I could say the same to you,' he laughed winking at her and flashing a really sexy smile at her. 'What did you say your name was?' he asked pretending he didn't know.

'It's Alexia, but all my friends call me Lexi' she replied, 'and you are?'

'I'm Jason,' he reached across and shook her hand. 'Nice to meet you Lexi.' He was amazed that so far it didn't look like she had a clue who he was - there was no look of recognition which crossed her face when he said his name.

'Are you going to the festival tomorrow night in the town centre?' he asked, knowing full well that she was. She replied that they were and Jason thought to himself that he had nothing to lose and dived in headfirst. 'Well, seeing as we seem to be the only English people in this resort shall we all share a table?'Lexi replied that she thought it would be a good idea. Jason got up and headed for the gents, he needed to find a way to walk her back to the apartments so he could collect the car and meet the others.

He went to the loo and when he came out he'd worked out a likely story. He said the lads decided to go and have a swim in the pool where she was staying as there was a bar there, so they drove up there and had said to meet them there. Heprayed to god when he got there that none of them would drop him in it and tell her that Jason had been there talking to her mum.

They sat there a little longer chatting and finished the carafe, by the time they'd finished Lexi felt decidedly tiddly. They agreed to halve the bill and left the waiter a tip and went to leave the taverna. Lexi stumbled as she walked away, not seeing her bag which lay on the floor by the table. Jason jumped forward and caught her as she fell, he saw a flash of what looked like fear as she realised he'd caught her and that she was trapped in the circle of his arms, his face just inches away from hers. She gazed deep into his deep blue eyes, fringed with dark, long lashes and shivered.

'Are you cold?' he asked, knowing full well the affect he was having on her because he could feel her trembling in his arms.

'No,' she whispered trying to tear her gaze away from his and not doing a very good job of it.

The moment was broken when the waiter came up and picked up her bag handing it to her. Lexi abruptly pulled away like she'd been burnt and took the bag off him, striding out of the taverna and leaving Jason shaking his head wondering whether he'd done something wrong.

'Get a grip!' she muttered to herself, completely confused by her reaction to him holding her. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she realised that one part of her wanted desperately to kiss him and another part wanted to get as far away from him as possible to protect herself.

They walked back to the apartments without speaking. Every now and then he looked at her from the corner of his eye trying to work out what the hell was going on in her mind. They arrived back around an hour later and Lexi headed back to her apartment to drop her bag off, so he said goodbye to her and said he'd see her the following eveving.

When he got back down to the pool Anna raised an eyebrow at him and gestured with her head to join her at the bar. He could see the lads in the pool playing water polo with some of the Greek lads staying there, so he nodded to her and mouthed 'in a mo.' He wandered over to the pool and quickly said to Josh, 'can you warn the others not to say anything to Lexi that I was here with you earlier? She thinks I bumped into her by accident, he guessed Anna had probably filled Josh in as to where he'd gone when he disappeared so quickly.

'No problem Jase, I hope she's worth it that's all I can say.'

'I think she is,' replied Jason looking hopefully in the direction she'd walked off in.

He disappeared off into the bar and told Anna that he had found Lexi at a taverna on the beach and they'd had a few drinks together.

'That's good,' she said, pleased to hear that it had gone ok.

'We've arranged to share a table tomorrow night at the taverna on the seafront,' he said with a smile. 'I just wish she would relax and realise that I'm not out to hurt her.'

'Jason, give her time and if you're persistent she'll soften towards you. Under that exterior she's not as brave as she lets on, she's just scared of getting hurt again, she just needs time to trust you and for you to break down her barriers.'

They arranged to all meet in the square the following evening at 7pm where there would be some Greek Dancing and a parade and then they would all walk down together to the taverna. Jason went to find the others and they decided to head back to the villa for some dinner.

Unbeknown to Jason, Lexi was laying on her bed thinking that for the first time in months she felt alive and the first piece of ice was thawing around her heart without her realising it.


	12. Chapter 12

The following morning Lexi woke up and felt a dart of excitement shoot through her as she realised tonight was the night that she would see Jason again. She was confused as to why she should feel excited, as it wasn't like she was on the look-out for a boyfriend, but there was something about him that she was attracted to.

She got up and had a quick shower, then wandered down to the village to get some bits for breakfast and also for lunch as they'd decided to stay up at the apartments today.

Meanwhile, Jason was also just waking up and felt the same kind of excitement at seeing Lexi. He recalled her pretty face, with it's high cheekbones dusted with freckles, small straight nose and pink lips with their delicate cupid's bow and he couldn't wait to see her again, despite her aloof and prickly attitude.

After having a shower, he spent the day by the pool relaxing, swimming and sunbathing with the other lads. It was an easy friendship they had together and for the most part they got on really well.

Lexi spent a lovely day relaxing by the pool reading her book and listening to her IPOD and when it got too hot, having a swim in the pool. By the end of the day it felt like she didn't have a care in the world and she felt totally relaxed. She headed back up to the apartment just before 6pm for a shower and to get changed. She opened the wardrobe door and selected a strappy fuchsia pink sundress, which she knew would like nice with her light tan and teamed it up with a pair of smart flip flop type sandals. She then headed off to have a shower, leaving James sprawled out on the bed watching a film and eating monkey nuts from a wicker basket he'd found in one of the cupboards - it was a habit that drove her mad, which is why he did it all the more. Just listening to him break open the shells and then pop them in his mouth, chomping away was one of the most annoying sounds she could think of and it set her teeth on edge, almost like nails on a blackboard.

Once she was done in the shower, she sprayed herself with some perfume and got dressed. When she was dressed she examined herself in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. 'James, shower's ready!' she called from the bathroom. He showered quickly, whilst she put on her make-up and fastened a silver necklace around her neck with small pearls strung onto it at intervals and put in a pair of pearl stud earrings. Stepping back, she was pleased with the look - smart but casual.

Jason was getting showered and changed at around the same time. He picked out a dark blue t-shirt and smart combat trousers and sprayed himself with a little aftershave. He'd taken a shave, because no-one seemed to notice him here as they were all Greeks who didn't seem to have heard of Take That at all. It made such a change not being noticed wherever he went, he reflected as he stroked some gel through his slightly damp hair.

Nobody really wanted to drive that evening, so they called a cab to come and pick them up. The taxi had to stop in one of the side streets just off the main square and they then made their way through to the tiny village square, with the church as it's focal point. Jason looked around to see if he could spot Lexi and it didn't take long to notice her. She momentarily took his breath away, she looked so pretty in her pink dress which was set off by her light tan and her dark hair shined in the half light. in the French plait which she'd styled it in.

Joe noticed Jason and his friends across the square and motioned for the four of them to come over and join them as they'd got a better spot, having got there a few minutes earlier. They wandered across the square to join them, the lads nodding to Joe, Anna, James and Lexi as way of a hello.

The parade was a spectacle, it seemed that every local for miles had come to see it. There was a brass band which played the Greek national anthem and led the way, and then the local children in their local costumes followed. The girls were dressed in red dresses with intricate lace designs and the boys had red waistcoats, black trousers and white shirts. Greek mothers and fathers were all looking at their children with pride and clapping along to the music. Once the parade had meandered down the coast road they had Greek dancing in the square and the Retsina and Raki flowed freely from barrels set up along the street. By the time it was over, Joe was more than a little tipsy and suggested maybe they ought to have some dinner.

Jason hung back, waiting until Lexi drew up level with him. He looked at her and grinned widely at her. 'You look lovely tonight Lexi'.

'Thank you', she replied blushing prettily and looking away quickly because she didn't want him to see the effect he was having on her as her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

Josh nudged Ben. 'Aye up, he's making a move on her. Let's see if she kicks him into touch like she did Calum.' They were amazed to see that Jason wasn't getting the same reaction from her. In fact, she was smiling openly at him and laughing at something he'd said.

Once they arrived at the taverna, Jason pulled a chair out for her and she sat down. He sat down in the seat opposite and smiling at her as she said thanks to him for his attentiveness.

The waiter came over to take their orders. Jason ordered a Greek Salad as did Lexi 'Do you want to share?' he asked her, raising an eyebrow and she smiled and replied that she was fine with that. A couple of minutes later the salad arrived and they both picked up their forks at the same time and went towards the bowl to take a forkful of the feta cheese. Jason's hand grazed Lexi's and she jumped back as if she'd been burnt by him, putting her hands in her lap. She looked down and could see her hand was trembling and she was cross with herself that her feelings were all over the place when he was around. He put his fork down, 'Lexi is there a problem?'

She shook her head tears springing to her eyes with annoyance at herself and also with him for causing this confusion she was feeling. When her hands had stopped shaking, she picked her fork back up and looked him in the eye. 'I'm fine Jason, but I think I need to talk to you after dinner,' she then took a large swig of the white wine she was drinking for Dutch courage.

He nodded 'I agree Lexi, that would be a good idea. Do you want to go for a walk?'

'That would be lovely,' she replied, smiling at him gratefully.

They finished their dinner and Lexi went over to her mum and told her that she'd agreed to go for a walk with Jason. Anna shot a glance towards Jason and she gave him a triumphant little smile as if to say well done to him.

Joe was slightly worse for wear by now, 'Lexi where did you say you were going?' she replied that she was going for a walk with Jason.'But I want to come with you. It's a lovely night for a walk.'

'No dad, I want to speak to Jason on our own.'

'But why can't I come? I'll be good, you won't even know I'm there.'

'I don't think so, dad, she replied, laughing and feeling slightly embarassed at his insistence in coming. Her poor dad's brain was really confused with the amount of alcohol he'd had if he thought he was going to join them for a walk.

Ben, Calum and Josh had been getting on like a house on fire all night with James, so they decided to go for a few drinks together. Anna decided to get Joe back to the apartment and put him to bed. 'I promise we'll get Lexi and James back ok.' Jason told Anna as she left their part of the bill and headed out of the taverna, firmly steering Joe on his way. Jason and Lexi stood up to go too. He saw Calum smirk nastily at them and he wondered what Calum was up to. He had a feeling Calum was a bit annoyed that Lexi had taken to him.

'Come on.' Jason said to Lexi and they left the other four to pay their part of the bill and finish their drinks. Lexi followed Jason out of the taverna and they walked along the promenade until they got to the harbour, with it's little fishing boats bobbing away on the current. Jason sat down on the harbour wall where they were alone and indicated for Lexi to sit down next to him.

'Lexi, are you scared of me?' he asked stroking her hand, half expecting her to snatch it away from him.

Lexi swallowed and shook her head. 'No Jason, I'm not. I'm scared of being hurt again and feeling like my heart's going to break with the pain. I was with a bloke for over a year and he really messed me about and I can't risk that happening again.'

'Lexi, just relax and go with it. I don't have any plans to hurt you. I just want to get to know you,' he leant closer to her and he could smell her perfume and wanted to touch her so badly, but wasn't sure what reaction he would get from her. She turned to look at him and all she could see in the half-light was his profile. She lifted her hand and stroked it along his cheek, breathing in the scent of him and willing him to turn around and look at her. At the feel of her soft fingers he turned slightly, looked at her and smiled, pleased that he'd managed to break down her defences. He put his larger hand over her smaller one and kissed her upturned palm and fingers, then leaning forward he kissed her. It was a kiss which seemed to last forever, he wound his fingers in the curls at the nape of her neck feeling the way they curled wispily on her neck where they had escaped from the plait. It was Lexi who broke the kiss, even though she felt like she wanted it to go on forever. The feelings churning up inside were quite unlike anything she'd felt before and she needed time to get used to them.

Jason grabbed her hand and suggested they carry on walking and go to one of the pastry shops where the locals hung out and maybe get themselves a coffee. Lexi agreed it was a good idea and off they walked in the direction of the cafe.

On the other end of the main street James was having a fantastic time with Josh, Calum and Ben. They'd had a real laugh and he found them great fun to be with, despite the fact that they were a bit older than him.They'd exhausted the topic of football and women and then Calum moved onto another subject - music.

'So, what type of music do you like James? Calum asked. Josh looked up slightly alarmed, wondering where this line of conversation was going.

'Oh I like anything really. A bit of rap, pop, whatever. I especially like The Saturdays .' He replied with a dirty grin, knowing full well that they knew what he meant by referring to The Saturdays - a female band of beautiful girls.

'So, do you like any boy-bands - or should I say manbands, then?' Calum asked.

'Erm, no they're not my bag really.' James replied, looking a bit confused.

"Oh my fucking god!" Josh thought to himself. "I know just where he's going with this one!" He tried to interrupt him, but Calum carried on talking over the top of him.

'And Lexi, what music does she like?'

'Well, she saw Hurts not so long ago at Birmingham and loved them. In fact, yeah, she's mental about them - especially the lead singer. Theo, I think he's called. She likes a bit of indie, bit of pop, a bit of everything really,' he was really confused as to where this conversation was going. Josh tried to change the subject again and Calum turned around and told him to shut up interrupting.

'So does she like manbands or boybands then?' Calum asked, sniggering.

'No, she's not into them really.' James replied, getting even more confused about what Calum was getting at.

'So, she doesn't like bands like Take That then? Surely she can't be the only girl that didn't go to their concerts in the summer? I thought every girl had an orgasm when they see them on Tv.' Calum smirked nastily.

'No she didn't go to the concerts. She reckons boybands are too full of themselves and I seem to remember her saying Take That weren't her thing.' James replied, shrugging.

'Now, that is a shame!' said Calum, gleefully. 'Considering she's probably snogging the face off one of Take That at this very moment! He's probably got his tongue down her throat as we speak!' He then got up, walked out of the bar leaving James gaping and Josh wanting the ground to open up and swallow him up whole at that moment.

'Oh Jesus! What can of worms has he opened up?' Josh said to Ben, who looked dumbstruck. 'Jason wanted to tell her himself, in his own time when he felt she would be ready to hear it.'


	13. Chapter 13

Lexi looked at the time and realised it was already 1am. They'd had a cup of coffee each and Lexi had tried a piece of Baklava with Ice Cream. Jason had laughed when she'd managed to miss her mouth, he'd leant across and wiped her chin with a serviette, tutting at her like a naughty child. Whilst she was cleaning the stickiness of her chin properly in the toilets, he stole the rest. 'Ooh, you are naughty eating the rest!' she laughed, swatting him when she saw what he'd done when she emerged from the toilets. He licked his lips and winked at her sexily. 'It was delicious too!'

She stood next to his chair and said, 'I think we should go and find James and make sure he's ok. He's not great at holding his drink'. Jason phoned Josh to check where they were, and then they made their way down to the bar. Josh, James and Ben were there, but Calum was nowhere to be seen.

'Where's Calum?' Jason asked, looking around the bar.

'Ermm..he was tired and went back to the villa.' Josh lied, not quite sure what to say as Lexi was standing there. He didn't want to drop Jason in it by telling the truth in front of her.

Lexi looked across the table and saw that James looked worse for wear, in fact he looked pissed out of his head. She sighed and wondered how the hell she was going to get him up the hill on her own.

Jason saw that she looked a bit worried and said he'd give her a hand getting him back. It seemed to take forever to get him back as it was one step forward and two steps back all the way with him insisting on singing all the way. Every now and then he stopped and looked at Jason strangely as if he wanted to say something. Halfway up the hill he stopped dead and looked at Jason, his finger pointing wildly at him. 'I know who you are...' he slurred, wobbling slightly before begining to resume his wayward stagger up the hill. Josh realised he'd been about to say that he knew who Jason was and swiftly spoke over the top of him.

'C'mon son, lets get you up to bed!' he prayed that James was so pissed he wouldn't say anything when they'd gone and just fall fast asleep. At the moment Jason didn't suspect James knew who he was, but Josh knew he would have to tell Jason as soon as they left James and Lexi, so he was aware of the turn of events.

They got him back to the room and Lexi opened the door so they could get him through to the bedroom. They managed to get him into the bedroom while Lexi hunted for a bucket in case he was sick in the night.

'Strange sleeping arrangements you have here, Lexi.' Jason said, looking confused as he glimpsed the double bed in the centre of the room. She hurriedly explained that they'd thought they were married and so she'd had to put up with sharing a bed with him.

'Can I see you tomorrow, Lexi?' Jason asked, hoping she would agree.

'Yes, why don't you come up to the pool tomorrow and we'll decide what to do?'

He agreed and she escorted him out to the front door, whilst James lay sprawled out on the bed. Ben and Josh waited at the bottom of the steps and Jason leant over, gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then said, 'you'd better have my mobile number just in case you need it,' he gave her his number and she gave him hers and then Jason bounded down the steps to join the lads.

Lexi went back into the bedroom and James was sitting up on the bed trying to get undressed but not doing a very good job. He was singing to himself and wobbling all over the place.

'What's that you're singing James?' she sort of recognised the slurred tune, but wasn't 100% sure.

In reply he started singing the first line of Greatest Day and laughing hysterically.

'I didn't know that Josie's, your ex's love of Take That rubbed off on you James? she remarked, bending down and attempting to help him out of his t-shirt which had got stuck.

'It didn't rub off on me Lexi but I hear a certain member of Take That has caught your eye and wouldn't mind to rub off on you!' he slurred, laughing like a nutcase. Lexi was really confused when he kept singing lines from the odd Take That songs that he knew. In the end she got him into bed still singing Could it be Magic, but singing the words "Could it be tragic!" instead. She went to brush her teeth and realised something must have happened tonight to make him suddenly start acting strangely and singing Take That songs. She'd seen him drunk plenty of times but this drunken behaviour with the singing was completely out of character. Her blood ran cold - surely she was imagining a link to James singing the songs, the comment he'd just made and her meeting Jason. She shook herself and told herself to get a grip she was just imagining things, but while she took off her make up and fetched a drink of water from the tap for herself and James the nagging thought remained. She could stand it no longer.

She shot down the stairs and into reception and made for the internet corner. She sincerely wished she'd bothered to bring her netbook, but at least she could use the computer in reception. She fed a two Euro coin into the meter and typed Take That into the search engine. She eventually found a site dedicated to Take That and found a thread concerned with each member. There in front of her was the name Jason Orange. Her hands shook. Surely it couldn't be one and the same as the Jason she'd just met, could it? She clicked on the first post and there in front of her was his picture, she scrolled down and saw the comments written about him and felt sick that she'd got tangled up with a famous person. Not only famous, but looking at the comments on there he was considered extremely shaggable judging by some of the comments on there. Some of them were extremely graphic about how sexy he was and there were plenty of comments on there, talking about him being a bit of a ladies man and a flirt. It seemed he had a type which he preferred and she was his classic "type". Younger, prettier and dark haired.

The lady on reception looked over to where Lexi sat on the computer, she heard a sniffling noise and was concerned whether Lexi was ok. She came out from behind the desk to check if she was ok as Lexi switched off the computer - she'd seen enough! 'Are you ok?' she asked in halting English, taking in Lexi's red eyes and the tears rolling down her face.

'I'm fine thanks,' Lexi replied wiping her nose on a tissue and walking past her out of the reception and back up to the apartment still crying, partly with anger and partly with sadness because she'd really felt like she'd connected with him. Now it seemed like he'd been stringing her along the whole time and almost certainly to get her into bed.

Jason, Ben and Josh walked down the hill back to the village square to hail a taxi cab. Josh was wondering when to tell Jason what had happened as he knew fireworks were going to fly. They hailed a cab and gave the driver instructions where to go, Jason got in the front and the other two in the back.

As they left the village lights behind them Josh tapped Jason on the shoulder, 'Jase you could have a potential problem with Lexi.'

'Oh yeah?' Jason replied, turning around to look at Josh with a questioning look.

'Err yeah Jase.' Calum told James who you are, looking at the state James was in tonight there's a pretty good chance that he won't be able to keep it to himself.'

'Fuck!' said Jason. He was going to tell her the following day, as he didn't feel he should keep it quiet any longer. He really liked her and felt that if she found out from someone apart from him it could potentially ruin everything. 'What the bloody hell did he tell James for?'

When they arrived back at the villa Calum was in bed fast asleep. He was woken up abruptly when Jason flung open the door and yanked the sheets off him, pulling him out of the bed flat onto his backside onto the marble floor. 'What the hell were you playing at deliberately telling James about me?'

'Well she has a right to know the truth!' Calum yelled back at him, rubbing his backside.

Jason has so angry he wanted to kick the living daylights out of Calum for what he'd done, but then he thought maybe he should have been upfront with her right from the word go. He knew Calum had done it because he was peeved at her being attracted to Jason rather than him. He just hoped James wouldn't repeat anything and he would definitely tell her tomorrow. He leant over Calum still sitting on the floor and went to punch him in the mouth, but Josh grabbed hold of his arm and said 'just leave it Jase, he's not worth the bother.'

Still angry he left the room, slamming the door behind him and got ready for bed. He tossed and turned most of the night and eventually fell asleep around 5am. He didn't hear his mobile make a soft pinging sound with a text he'd received from Lexi.

It said: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN YOU'VE TRICKED ME! LEX.


	14. Chapter 14

Jason woke up around 9am and felt a dart of excitment, he was going to see Lexi. He was looking forward to seeing her again, but he felt some trepidation about what her reaction would be when he found out who he was.

He wandered into the kitchen in just his Calvin Klein's and put the kettle on to boil, putting a herbal tea bag in the cup. He then went to the trousers he'd worn last night and took his mobile phone out of the pocket to text Lexi and say that he was looking forward to seeing her. His mobile was flashing with the little blue light that indicated he'd received a message. He opened it and his heart sank at the message Lexi had left.

He didn't even bother to have a shower, he just pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and raced out to the car starting it quickly and heading out onto the main road into Finikounda. He arrived at Lexi's apartment within ten minutes and hammered on her door. James answered the door 'Well hello? Oh, it's Mr Pop Star come to see my sis! She's not here mate, she went out around twenty minutes ago and I'm not sure where she went.'

Jason's heart sank, he had a feeling this wasn't going to be easy. 'Do you mind if I wait here for her?' he asked. James shrugged, closed the door with resounding slam and left Jason to sit on the steps whilst he went and got back in bed. He felt awful, his head was hammering and his mouth was like sandpaper but the one thing he did remember was Calum dropping the bombshell about Jason. That interesting bit of news was the one thing he did remember from the previous night.

Meanwhile, Lexi was in reception with her mum. She'd gone to fetch her and wanted to show her the site she'd been looking at the previous evening. She still felt really deceived by him and angry, but wanted to speak to her mum to see if she was being unreasonable.

'Mum, I need to show you this. Have you any idea who Jason really is?' Anna looked at Lexi confused, she didn't get what Lexi was trying to say. Lexi found the site she'd been on the previous night and found the Jason thread. She then sat back and moved the mouse towards her mum so she could read the comments. Anna scrolled through the first page, somewhat surprised to see the Jason they knew staring out at her from the top of the page. When she'd finished reading she turned around and put her arms around Lexi and gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead like a small child. 'Gosh this is a turn up for the books...' she murmered, hardly able to believe that Jason was one of the most famous men on the planet.

Lexi folded herself into her mum's arms sobbing. 'I actually thought he was different from other men mum, but it seems I was wrong doesn't it? It looks like he just wanted me to be another notch on his bed-post.'

'Well, it does look like that darling.' Anna replied, wishing she'd never encouraged Jason to pursue her daughter. She'd been so sure that he was a genuine person, but it looked like her usually good intuition hadn't been very good this time. 'I really do think you need to speak to Jason and see what he has to say for himself, because you're just going by rumours flying around on the internet' she suggested, wondering whether Lexi was being too quick to judge.

'I can't mum. I don't ever want to speak to him again. How do I know that I haven't been part of an elaborate joke the four of them have set up? For all I know they could have been putting bets on how quick I would sleep with him.'

'I'm sure that's all in your imagination Lexi!' her mother soothed, stroking her hair. 'You really need to speak to him or it may be something you'll regret for the rest of your life. At least give him the chance to explain.'

Anna was still shocked at seeing Jason's on the Take That website. She hadn't suspected a thing, but then that wasn't surprising as she was more of a Westlife fan.

'I think I need to go for a walk mum.' Lexi said, standing up and wiping her eyes and nose. 'A bit of fresh air might help me think a bit straighter about all of this.'

'I think that's a good idea darling,' her mum replied, giving her one last kiss and hug. 'Whereabouts are you going?'

I'm going to have a walk down the beach I think,' Lexi replied, sighing deeply and giving her a wan smile.

She walked out the back of reception, down towards the pool and then walked off down the hill towards the village and the beach.

Anna went to the bar and had a quick coffee and pondered over the conversation she'd had with Lexi and the implications of what she'd found out about Jason. She felt saddened that Lexi had found out the way she had, rather than Jason telling her himself. She suspected he was planning on telling Lexi about himself, but events had overtaken him. After drinking her coffee she went up the stairs which led to her apartment and Lexi and James's to find Jason sitting on the top step looking nearly as bad as Lexi did.

'What are you doing here?' she asked him. Even though she knew the answer just by the look on his face.

'Anna, I've messed up big time with her haven't I?' his eyes gave away just how awful he felt about it.

'Why did you not tell her from the word go? It would have made things so much easier,' she answered softly. 'She's really angry at you and hurt and can't reconcile the person she sees you as, with the person she's been reading about on the internet.'

'Oh god! My reputation isn't exactly the greatest, because the press circulate that I've had lots of girlfriends. Yes, I've had a few over the years, but nowhere near as many as it looks like I've had. I wish she hadn't read any of it. I really do need to speak to her. Do you know where she is?'

Anna indicated with her hand. 'She's gone down the hill for a walk along the beach. You might find her there.'

'Thanks Anna. I really appreciate it! I promise that I didn't intend to hurt her and I'll make it up to her if I can!' she nodded and opened the door to the apartment, finding Joe on the balcony reading his book. She made him a cup of tea and took it out to him and started to tell him what had happened between Lexi and Jason.

Jason ran down the stairs and sprinted all the way through the backstreets until he got to the seafront. He scanned the seafront looking for her, but couldn't see her anywhere. There weren't many people on the beach as it was still early, but there was no sign of her as far as he could see. He stepped onto the beach, took his trainers off and walked along the shoreline away from the harbour towards the far end of the beach. The waves lapped at his toes as he walked, which calmed him down a little. At the very end of the beach he saw a figure huddled up on the rocks with her feet in the sea, she was looking out to sea where he could see a fishing boat sailing past the island of Sapienza.

He walked towards her and stopped as he drew level with her. She looked up and he saw that she had tear streaks on her face and he felt so guilty for not telling her earlier. He knelt down facing her and took her hands in his, the rocks she was sitting on scraping his knees through his shorts. He shifted uncomfortably until he was more steady.

'Lexi look at me.' She avoided his gaze and looked away. 'Lexi, look at me!' He said, louder this time.

She tried not to look at him. 'Sod off and leave me alone.'

He breathed a small sigh of relief - at least she was talking, even if it was with annoyance. He could handle that better than just silence.

'Lexi, I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did about who I am.' She still looked away from him, so he got up and knelt right in front of her, his knees now being soaked by the sea lapping up against the rocks. 'You didn't recognise me when we first met and I couldn't exactly say to you the minute we met, Oh by the way do you know I'm Jason Orange world famous pop star, could I? It looks a bit big headed doesn't it? just let me explain.'

She looked at him at that moment and he felt relieved that at least she was listening now. 'Go on then!' She said sarcastically, I'm all ears! And what were the odds when you were betting?'

He looked really confused at that comment.' What do you mean about odds?'

'Bet you were all placing bets on how quick you could get me into bed weren't you? I bet you think I'm easy and no doubt you and Calum were betting who could score first eh?'

'Lexi, what kind of man do you think I am?

She shrugged in answer to his question. 'That's what I'm trying to work out, Jason.'

'When I first saw you Lexi I really felt a connection with you. I can't explain what it was exactly, but something drew me to you. When we first got to know each other I was really surprised you had no idea who I was and I knew I had to tell you sooner rather than later, but I wanted to choose the right time to tell you. I regret that maybe I didn't tell you the first night I kissed you, but what's done is done. Do you see that I wanted you to like me for me, not for who I am?'

'Ok,' she replied, her voice wavering. 'So how do you explain the stuff written about you on the internet? I read no end of stuff saying that you're a ladies man, you're a flirt, you can't commit to anyone. All sorts of stuff and it's confused me because it's not the Jason I've got to know. I don't mean I want you to commit or anything serious. I just thought you were using me or having a laugh at my expense.'

'Right, I'll try my best to explain.' he replied. 'But I'm going to have to get up and sit next to you as I have cramp in my knees, don't forget I'm an old man!'

She giggled at his comment and shifted over a bit so he could sit beside her. 'So how old exactly are you Jason? That's one thing I didn't notice amongst all the other stuff I learnt about you.'

'I'm 40 in July,'

'Bloody hell, you're old then!' she laughed. 'I was 26 last month. But I must admit you look nowhere near that age, I put you in your mid-thirties!'

He smiled at her with a wicked grin and said 'flattery will get you everywhere! Now, in answer to your questions....'He began to tick off on his fingers the points she'd raised. 'Number one: I haven't had anywhere near as many girlfriends as the press will have you think. I only need to be seen smiling or saying hello to someone and the press have her down as my girlfriend. I was behind a girl at the cashpoint last year and the next I heard she was my girlfriend, that's how bad it is. Of course I've had a few, especially in the nineties but nothing like the number you're imagining. Number two: The reason I haven't committed to anyone is because I haven't found anyone I care enough about. I was engaged for a while at the end of the nineties but it didn't work out. That's the honest truth to it. Number three: I admit I come across as a flirt. I smile a lot and I love my job and I do flirt with girls when I'm on stage, but it's an act. I'm a different person on-stage to off-stage. Does that make sense?' He finished ticking off his points and looked at her to check she understood.

Lexi nodded and smiled at Jason with relief. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone off the deep end like I did. I feel really silly now.'

'Well I'm sorry I didn't tell you who I was a bit sooner, so we're quits. OK?'

She nodded and stroked his arm, she felt relieved that he'd explained it all and that she hadn't imagined he was the person she'd got to know. He looked over at her. 'So, would you like to spend some more time with this old man then?'

She put her arm around his waist. 'Oh, I can think of nothing I want more, Jason,' he turned his head slightly and looked at her thinking how beautiful she looked with wisps of hair blowing gently in the breeze. She turned and smiled at him. He could just see a stray tear still clinging to her eyelash at the corner of her eye so he put his finger there and gently wiped it away. 'God you're gorgeous Lexi,' he said in a low voice and she leant forward and kissed him, a tender kiss which he returned relieved that all was now sorted between them and they could now get on with enjoying their holiday and getting to know each other better.


	15. Chapter 15

Lexi stood up and brushed the sand and grit from her trousers. 'Come on, let's go grab something to eat,' she suddenly realised how hungry she was. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him up. 'Oh my god Jay! Look at your knees!' she said, clapping her hand over her mouth in surprise. 'Let's get you to a bar and we'll get them cleaned up.'

He looked down and noticed that where he'd knelt on the rock, his knees were all grazed and bloody. 'Ok, but be gentle with me,' he laughed, looking at her with a rueful smile, like a lost little boy. They walked along the shoreline until they found a small cafe. Jason sat down and looked out to sea, whilst Lexi disappeared into the bar area and located some paper towels which she ran under the taps until they were damp. She came out of the bathroom with the damp towels and could see Jason sitting with his back to her, people watching the kids and their parents playing on the beach, which by now was beginning to fill up. She smiled a little smile to herself and thought how could she have nearly let such a gorgeous man go? She walked up behind him and placed her hand on his neck, stroking the hairs at the nape of his neck. He looked up towards her and gave her that heart-breaking smile that she had already begun to love so much. She moved her hand to stroke his cheek, her palm grazing the stubble close to his mouth. He moved his cheek and kissed her palm softly with his lips, causing her to shiver.

Kneeling down, she lifted the hem of his shorts leg and carefully wiped away the dried blood and grit until it was clean. He looked down at her and realised that he enjoying himself thoroughly, feeling her small hand holding the calf of his leg steady whilst she wiped at the graze gently, her brow knitted together whilst she concentrated on not hurting him. In fact, he was having to try to think about other things as it felt so nice and he could feel things stirring in his shorts. When she was finished, she looked up and saw him laughing at the expression of concentration on her face.

'What's so funny?' she asked.

'You looked so sexy with that look of concentration on your face.' He laughed suggestively. 'It's lovely having my own little nurse to look after me, where do you want to clean next?' she coloured with embarassment and flopped down in the chair next to him giving him a playful slap.

The waiter brought over their omelettes and soft drinks and they made a start on their food. Jason asked her what she did for a living and she explained that she was the Manager of a well-known women's clothing shop in her town of Cambridge. He asked her all about the in's and out's of her job and if she liked it. 'Yeah, most of the time,' she replied 'I just don't like doing loads of weekends and bank holidays, but apart from that it's ok.'

'So, what's Cambridge like?'

'It's a fairly sedate city, full of foreign and British students all riding bikes everywhere and getting in the way when you're trying to drive past them. It's full or arty and "up themselves" types, but apart from that it's an ok place.'

'I'd fit right in then wouldn't I? The lads are always saying I'm an arty farty type,' he laughed. 'I remember one of our very first gigs was in Cambridge, not long after me and the lads got together. We played the local Corn Exchange and when we arrived there was a queue around the building of school-girl types. We played the gig and all these young girls tried to storm the stage, they had to rush us off for our own safety. We still talk about it now and remark that Cambridge seems so calm and quiet, but the fans there were possessed!'

She laughed at the vision of all these young girls trying to climb up on the stage to reach the boys. 'So what's it like being in Take That?' she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

'Good most of the time. The best times are when we're on stage performing and the crowd's going wild or when we write a song together that we know right away is a hit. Gary, Rob and Mark write most of the songs and How and I do the harmonies, as well as helping to write some of the songs and us two often come up with ideas for when we perform live.

'Sorry, did you say Rob?' Lexi asked in amazement.

'Oops, that slipped out, we've been writing with him over the last few months and he's joining us again for a year - we're going to announce it officially when I get back off this holiday. You mustn't breathe a word of what I've told you though, it mustn't come out before we're ready to tell the press.'

'Of course I won't say anything!' she replied. Robbie was one singer she really admired and who's music she loved and she hadn't had any inkling that he was working with Jason and the band.

'So what's Robbie like, I'm curious?' she pushed her plate away as she'd finished her food and was now full up.

'Mixed up - but in a nice way!' Jason laughed. 'He blows hot and cold, one minute he's overjoyed about something and then half an hour later he's bored and wants to do something different. But we've got used to that over the last nine months or so. We've been writing some new stuff with Stuart Price and it's completely different, you'll be able to see Rob's influence written all over it.'

'Sounds interesting,' she replied, with honesty.

'Maybe if you're lucky at some point I'll play you a little on my guitar - or unlucky, should I say,' he laughed self-consciously.

'I can think of nothing nicer,' she sighed. 'I thought none of you played instruments. I thought boybands couldn't play instruments. I'm sorry!'

'Well, you learn something new every day!' Jason wasn't surprised, this was what everyone seemed to think. It was nice to prove people wrong.

They paid for their food and walked up the hill to the apartments holding hands. When they got up to the pool Anna, Joe and James were by the pool sunbathing. Anna smiled a broad grin when she saw them approaching holding hands and poked Joe in the ribs. 'Look! Look! They're holding hands, they must have sorted it out.'

Joe grunted and moaned because he'd been having a lovely snooze and was having the most wonderful dream involving him and Kylie Minogue who had been telling him she loved older men because they were so much more worldly when they were older. He came to with a bump when he was rudely awoken from his dream. 'Great!' he said and rolled over and went back to sleep hoping to carry on with the very sexy dream which he'd been having.

Lexi and Jason headed for them on the sunbeds, James looked up sheepishly 'Lexi I owe you an apology, I should have kept my big mouth shut.'

'No worries James. I would have found out eventually I just would have rather heard it from Jason's mouth.'

'Look mate, I owe you an apology too. My mouth has a mind of it's own when I've had one too many. Sorry.' He looked at Jason and stuck out his hand to shake Jason's. They shook hands solemnly and then Jason clapped him on the back, 'come on I'll get you a beer. Just the one mind you, you can't handle your beer can you? Do you want anything Lexi?' she nodded. 'Just an orange juice please, Jay.' The two men headed off to the bar together laughing away as they did so, to get the drinks.

'So, I take it he's forgiven then hun?' her mum raised an eyebrow quizzically. 'What did he have to say for himself?'

'Well, a lot of it was basically don't believe everything you read online. He hasn't had that many girlfriends at all, he hasn't found Mrs Right and that's why the press are always on the look out for him with a girl. That's the top and bottom of it.'

'I'm really glad that it's sorted out darling,' her mum said, looking at Jason and James joking about in the bar area. 'He seems really nice, not starry at all if you know what I mean?'

'He's not mum. He's really down to earth. Look, I'm under no illusion here it's no more than a holiday romance everyone knows they never last. I was just more annoyed with him that he might be just after one thing and that he hadn't told me who he was.'

At that moment Joe woke up from his slumber. He was disappointed because Kylie was noticeably absent from the last dream - she'd abruptly morphed into Sylvester Stallone's mum.

'So I take it it's all sorted then?' he asked, indicating over to Jason with his head. Lexi nodded and told him the basics of what had happened without going into too much detail. 'Good, I hate to hear that something's upset you that much and I'm glad you've sorted it out. Enjoy what you have while you're here and make the most of it. Ok?'

She nodded. 'Don't worry. I plan to dad,' she leant over and gave him a peck on the cheek. He got up from the sunbed and took the glasses back to the bar, where Anna was by now talking to James and the barman, who was recommending some good local restaurants for them to try.

Lexi looked at her watch and realised it was getting late on in the day. They'd spent so long talking in the cafe they hadn't realised how late it had got. 'Jason, I'm going for a swim then I'd better go upstairs for a shower.'

He nodded 'I'll join you and then I'd best get back to the villa and catch up with the lads for a bit. Do you fancy going out for dinner a bit later?'

'I'd love to,' she replied, peeling off her denim skirt and vest top and folding them on the sunbed carefully.'Come on then.' She waited for him to move. Earth to Jason!' she laughed as she stood in front of him in her skimpy pink polka dot biniki. He was having difficulty tearing his eyes from her half naked body it seemed.

He realised she was speaking to him, grinned and started to take his shorts and t-shirt off. By the time he was undressed and standing there in his swimming shorts Lexi was already in the pool, swimming backstroke and admiring his toned, tanned physique from her vantage point in the pool. She could just make out his stomach muscles despite his slim build, and liked what she saw. He obviously looked after himself and it was noticeable. Jason got in the pool and swam up to her. 'What are you looking at?' heasked, poking his tongue out at her.

'YOU!' she replied, laughing flirtatiously.

'You're not so bad yourself,' he said, wrapping his arms around her and treading water. He leant forward and planted a kiss on her lips, tasting the salt-water from the pool on her. She wound her arms around his neck drawing him nearer for a more passionate kiss, slipping her tongue inside his mouth and running her fingers through his damp hair at the same time.

He pulled away from the kiss after a moment or so. 'Err Lexi I think we'd better stop if I've got to get out in a minute. I don't want to have to explain the commotion going on in my shorts at the moment to your mum and dad do I?' he nodded his head over to where they both stood, still talking to the barman with their backs to them both in the pool.

She laughed sexily and said 'I'd love to see you explain it.'

They got out of the pool and Lexi headed up to the apartment for a shower and Jason jumped into the car to go back to the villa, thinking he might be best jumping in a cold shower when he got home to cool himself down. He smiled to himself, thinking how good it was that things seemed to have turned out for the best.


	16. Chapter 16

Jason arrived back at the villa, just as the sun was setting over the mountains. The lads were all sitting by the pool with beers and chatting and were changed ready to go out for dinner.

'So, the wanderer returns!' exclaimed Josh. 'You buggered off in the car and left us without transport you sod! We had to hitch a lift to Methoni and back to get some food at the supermarket.'

'Oh bloody hell! Sorry! I just didn't think this morning.' Jason apologised. He hadn't even thought about the others when he'd jumped in the car first thing. 'Did you manage ok?' He asked, feeling guilty.

'Yeah,' Josh laughed, shaking his head at Jason. 'You've got it bad if you completely forgot all about us lot.'

Calum shot Jason a black look. Josh and Ben might not mind that Jason had left them in the lurch, without a car. But he was well and truly pissed off. 'You really are selfish bastard, Jay. You buggered off without a thought for the rest of us. You're just fanny struck!' he scraped his chair back and pushed past Jason to go into the kitchen.

Jason followed him into the kitchen. 'What the bloody hell's the matter with you Calum? I've said I'm sorry.' His eyes narrowed, as he watched Calum take a beer out of the huge fridge and take the top off with a soft hiss. 'You're jealous, aren't you?'

'No, I'm not. How do you know she's not some gold-digger. She certainly latched onto you quickly enough didn't she?' Calum raised the bottle up to take a swig.

Jason strode across the kitchen and before Calum could stop him, grabbed him by the throat and pinned him up against the wall. 'How dare you! Just because she blew you out!' He stood nose to nose with Calum, his hand clamped around Calum's throat, his fist drew back ready to punch him. 'I should knock your fucking block off! How dare you call Lexi a gold-digger! He yelled at Calum.

Josh had seen what was going on from the pool area and raced into the kitchen, pulling Jason off Calum, who stood there red-faced and choking.

'Right! Enough! Calum pack it in and apologise to Jason.'

Calum swallowed hard, he'd never seen Jason that wound up before and he was pretty scared of his temper. He did as Josh told him, even though he didn't really want to apologise. 'I'm sorry Jason. I was out of order.' At that moment he felt stupid that he'd let a girl get in the way of their friendship and that he'd got so drunk the previous night, that he'd put their friendship at risk. They'd been friends a long time and a girl had never got between them before and he felt pretty stupid.

Jason nodded stonily at Calum, acknowledging what he was saying. 'Ok. Apology accepted, but don't think I won't be watching you!' He stalked off for a quick shower and and a shave, as he knew he was due to be back at Lexi's in around an hour. After he'd had a shave he stood in the shower, letting the water trickle over his head and down his neck and back. He looked at his hand and noticed it was still shaking with anger. 'Blimey Jason,' he muttered to himself. 'She's got under your skin, hasn't she?' he took a deep, ragged sounding breath and felt the tension seep out of his body, as the warm water relaxed him. He had to admit that there was some kind of connection he'd found already with Lexi, which he'd never experienced with another woman and her effect on him both excited and scared him.

After drying himself off and spraying himself with some aftershave he quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans, t shirt and trainers and brushed some gel into his damp hair, before going back out to the pool area.

'Hi Jase.' Ben said, looking him up and down.'You're all dressed up to go out mate, are you coming with us or meeting Lexi tonight?'

'I'm seeing Lexi tonight, but why don't we all go out together tomorrow night? Either just us four or we could go out the eight of us, whatever you lot prefer? I'm just a bit conscious that we all came on holiday together and now I'm disappearing off with Lexi all the time.'

Ben looked at the others to guage their reactions. 'Why don't you speak to Lexi and see how she feels, we're happy whatever you want to do, aren't we?' he looked at the others and they all nodded.

'Look Jase, you're obviously keen on Lexi and if you want to spend time with her we're cool aren't we?' Calum asked the other two. Jason was amazed after the outburst earlier at Calum's words, it looked like either Calum had been doing some thinking or the others had spoken to him. The others agreed too. The truth of the matter was that Calum had thought whilst Jason was in the shower and realised maybe Jason was right, and he acknowledged that he was jealous and wanted to make things right between them.

'Well, we should maybe agree every day who's having the car to make it fair on everyone.' Ben suggested, and they all agreed.

They decided that the lads would all drive into Finikounda together and drop Jason off en-route at Lexi's apartment. They all got in the car and arrived at her apartment around ten minutes later. Jason ran up the stairs two at a time and knocked at the door. Lexi opened it, wearing a pretty flowered sundress with spaghetti straps and white sparkly flip flops. 'You look lovely Lexi.' Jason said, leaning forward and putting his arms around her and kissing her full on the lips. He felt like he hadn't seen her for hours, even though it was only around an hour or so earlier.

'Where are we going tonight then?' Lexi asked, wondering what Jason had planned. All he'd said was he was taking her for dinner and that was it, she was feeling curious.

'It's a surprise'. Jason replied, giving absolutely nothing away. He hoped Lexi would like what he'd planned for her.

'What time do we need to be where we're going then?' she asked.

'Around 8.30. So we'll head down in around 20 minutes.'

'Do you want a drink on the balcony then?' she asked him.

'That would be nice,' Jason replied, realising how thirsty he was. He hadn't had a drink with the other lads around the pool when he'd got back to the villa. He followed her back inside the apartment and onto the balcony where he could see she had a glass of mineral water. 'Can I have a mineral water too?' he asked. She went and got him one and they sat out on the balcony, where it was now twilight. 'It's so peaceful here isn't it?' he said, taking in the flower gardens and the sea view with Methoni in the distance, it's lights just starting to come on.

'Yeah, it is lovely,' she agreed, seeing it through his eyes.' I do a lot of thinking out on this balcony.'

She went back inside leaving him out on the balcony for a few minutes, to collect her bag and to put some lip-gloss on. He looked around the balcony and noticed the clothes on the line drying and how tidy it was. A woman after his own heart, he realised.

'So, you all set?' she asked, coming out onto the balcony. Her mum, dad and James had already gone out earlier on. He nodded, drained his glass and brought it inside, leaving it by the drainer.

She locked the door and turned around, catching him unawares. He was admiring her figure in the sundress. It clung in all the right places, but flattered the bits she wanted to hide. 'What are you looking at?' she laughed.

'At you,' he replied licking his lips and raising his eyebrow cheekily. 'You really are beautiful' she flushed with embarassment and took his hand, as they made their way down the hill to the village. She couldn't quite believe a man who could probably pick and choose a girlfriend fancied her.

As they walked though the little main street they passed the men with their worry beads outside the Kafenion watching the world go by. They eyed the couple as they walked past and nodded in greeting to them, or called out the Greek greeting of "Yiassas!". Jason led her through the small walkway, between two tavernas and onto the beachfront.

'So where are we going then?' she asked confused, as she couldn't quite work out why he'd stopped.

'Close your eyes,' he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver. She closed her eyes and he stepped behind her, drew a silk scarf out of his back pocket and placed it over her eyes, tying it at the back. He then stepped in front of her to check she couldn't see, and took both of her hands in his leading her forwards onto the beach to the surprise he had in store for her.


	17. Chapter 17

Jason led her forwards and then stopped suddenly, realising she still had her sandals on. 'Stop a minute,' he said, bending down. 'We need to take these sandals off.' She kicked her shoes off and he picked them up and then took hold of her hand again. She could feel the sand and shingle beneath the soles of her feet and felt it gradually become damper underfoot. She could also hear the gentle waves slapping against the shoreline and wondered what he was doing and where he was taking her.

'Lexi, just trust me here luv, I'm not going to harm you but I'm going to have to do this so you don't ruin your lovely dress by getting it wet.' He let go of her hands once more and she felt him slightly lift the sides of her dress and push them upwards so that they folded slightly under the sides of her knickers. She felt his fingers brush the outside of her legs as he did this and was momentarily a bit scared as to what he was doing, despite her skin burning where his fingers had brushed. 'Don't worry no-one can see anything they shouldn't, he murmured to her, to put her mind at rest.

He took hold of her hand again and she could hear the faint "put put" of a boat engine coming towards them. He led her onwards into the shallow water until it lapped around her calves and then stopped again. The boat engine was getting nearer and nearer, but still Lexi couldn't work out what was going on.

Anna, Joe and James happened to be having dinner in a taverna on the beach and saw Jason and Lexi appear nearby. They saw Jason tie a scarf around Lexi's eyes and lead her towards the sea. 'Lucky girl!' Anna breathed to herself, as they could see the treat Jason had planned for her. Some of the locals came out of the tavernas and stood on the beach to watch what was going on and Joe saw Jason colour slightly at seeing they were centre of attention. He'd planned that he would just walk her onto the beach and people would be so busy eating they wouldn't notice them.

'Now, Lexi you need to trust me here, OK? I'll keep hold of your hand and you'll just feel me lift you slightly. OK?'

She nodded, confused as to what was happening. The small boat reached them and the engine stopped, the sailor leant across and grabbed Lexi's hands and Jason lifted her in.

'Can I take this thing off my eyes yet?' Lexi asked. 'I'm dying to know what's going on here.'

'Not yet luv, I'll tell you when.'

The sailor started the engine again and they set off into the bay towards the mountains the other side. Around 10 minutes later the sailor switched the engine off and the dinghy stopped and bobbed about on the current. He tied it up and then motioned to Jason that it would be safe to climb out of the dinghy. Jason stood up gingerly, to make sure he'd got his balance and then grabbed onto the ladder on the side and climbed up the ladder to make sure everything was perfect and as he wanted it to be. It was. He grinned a triumphant grin and made his way back down the ladder to get Lexi.

'Are you ok?' he asked her, as she was looking apprehensive.

She nodded that she was and he moved her shoulders so he could reach around to untie the scarf. As he did so, he planted a kiss on her shoulder, causing her to shiver involuntarily. The scarf came away and Lexi blinked hard to adjust to the twilight, now that she had nothing to hinder her sight. Jason was grinning away at her and she realised they were moored alongside a wooden sailboat, like the ones she'd seen sailing into the harbour every now and then.

'Where are we going?' she was really confused now about what was going on.

'You'll see,' he replied and stood to help her up. He went up first, so he could see her face when she got onboard and she followed him. He stood back to let her onboard, feeling a bit nervous in case she didn't like what he'd done or thought he was being flash.

'Wow Jason! This is so beautiful!'

She looked around her and she could see that someone had laid a table for dinner, and there were lights strung along the decks. The boat itself was a wooden sailboat, not particularly large but it felt homely and initimate.

'Did you do all this for me?' she asked him, flabbergasted that someone would go to all this trouble for her.

He nodded and grinned at her. 'Yes I did.'

'But when did you do it all?'

'After I left you at the apartment earlier, I went to your apartment reception. The thing is with this place, everyone knows everyone else and I said I wanted to do something unusual, the Manager said he knew someone who owned this boat and that we could have it for this evening.'

'But it must have cost a packet!' she said, shaking her head in wonderment at the thought that had gone into it and how it had been arranged so quickly. 'Thank you. It's beautiful!' she walked towards him, put her hands either side of his face bringing him towards her for a kiss. He returned the kiss with enthusiasm, enjoying the feeling of her tongue softly exploring the inside of his mouth and her soft lips pressed against his.

'Would you like a drink?' heasked her when they came up for air. She nodded and he went down to the galley to get a bottle of champagne out of the fridge. 'Don't be expecting this every night ok?' He laughed, taking in the expression of amazement on her face. 'I Can't afford to do this every night!'

In truth it hadn't actually cost him that much, he'd deliberately made sure the boat wasn't too big, as he didn't want to come across as some big star. It was a small boat which people hired for family boat trips during the day and only had a small galley and the man who'd helped him bring her out there was part of the package. One of the chefs from the taverna at Lexi's apartments had made them a dinner, which he'd packed in a basket and taken down to the boat for them both.

They sat down at the table and Jason popped the cork and poured them a glass of champagne as the boat pulled up anchor and sailed away into the darkness.

Jason went back down to the galley and fetched up their starters of Tzatziki, houmous and bread and put them on the table in front of her, then sat back down to join her.

'I just cannot believe you did all this for me....' she said, shaking her head. 'Why did you do this?'

Jason shrugged 'I really like you and I wanted time with you completely on our own to get to know each other with no intrusions from family or friends.'

'Well it was a drastic way to go about it!' she laughed, taking in once more all that he'd done.

After they'd finished their starters Jason went back down and fetched their main course which was rice salad, chicken , mini spinach and cheese pies and various bits and pieces the chef at the apartments had packed for them. They were both too full for the walnut and honey cake the chef had also thoughtfully packed, so left it for later.

'If you eat like this all the time you should weigh a ton!' Lexi said, laughing and patting her full stomach and eyeing his slim physique.

Jason shook his head. 'I don't normally eat like this. In fact I eat really carefully at home, it's all organic stuff for me and I don't eat much in the way of sweet things.' This was another reason he liked this area as he knew everything was pretty much organic and it was one of the healthiest places to live in Europe because of the diet.

Jason picked up both their champagne glasses and set them down on a low table in the small seating area and then motioned for Lexi to join him. She cuddled up to him on the seat, him squished in the corner of it with his legs sprawled the length of the seat and Lexi lay back in the gap of his legs with the back of her head resting on his shoulder comfortably. He wrapped his arms around her, resting them on her belly. They sat there in companionable silence listening to the sea lapping the sides of the boat as they sailed around the bay.

'Jason, this is one of the best nights of my life, I can't repay you for what you've done.' Lexi sighed, looking over to Finikounda lit up along the edge of the bay.

'I don't expect you to Lex, you're really special and I wanted to spoil you.' He nuzzled up to her neck, planting butterfly kisses up the length of her neck. He reached her ear lobe and kissed that too, drawing it into his mouth, sucking the tip of it with his tongue. He could smell the scent of her perfume and her shampoo and she smelt delicious.

Lexi shivered and turned her head to look at him 'I really like you too Jason.' She smiled up at him, her dark eyes looking into his deep blue ones.

He dipped his head down and kissed her on the shoulder, pushing the strap down her arm with his fingers to kiss the rest of her shoulder and he felt her suddenly tense up.

'Jason, I'm not ready for anything like that it's too soon.' She wasn't sure exactly how far he was going to go, but she knew she didn't feel comfortable with what he was doing.

He nodded. 'I'm sorry Lexi. I got a bit carried away. We'll go at your pace, ok?' He shifted on the seat, thinking she must surely be able to feel what was going on in the trouser department, as she was leaning against him. He didn't want to scare her off.

Lexi smiled up at him. 'It's not that I don't fancy you Jason. I do! I want to get to know you better and we'll see how we go, ok? I've had a rough few months and I've been messed about big-time by my last relationship, so I guess I find it hard to let go.'

He picked up her hand and kissed it. 'That's fine with me luv.' He was enjoying himself just getting to know her for the moment.

The boat slowed down and the anchor was dropped, which meant their time was up. Lexi had loved every minute of their treat and didn't want it to end. Jason helped her back into the dinghy and put his arm around her, drawing her towards him for a cuddle as they made their way back to the shoreline.

'Thank you so much Jason, for such a special night.' She placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a tender kiss.

'No problem, glad you enjoyed yourself. Do you fancy going out somewhere tomorrow in the car?' He asked her.

'I'd love to!' she said, pleased that he wanted to see her again, despite her turning him down on the boat.

The dinghy crunched onto the shingle and Jason helped her out. He thanked the sailor for his hard work and handed him over a tip for his help. Lexi saw her parents and James sitting in the taverna where they'd been sitting when she got on the boat, they were enjoying a desert. 'I can walk back with them Jay, it'll save you walking me all the way back.'

Jason texted Josh to see if the lads were still in the village. They'd gone on to the next town of Koroni, but they said they'd be leaving any minute and would pick him up on the main road as they went through the village in around 10 minutes.

'I'll walk back to the main road with you,' he said.'The lads will pick me up on their way through.'

Lexi went over to her parents and they paid for their dinner and all walked back to the main road together. Lexi breathlessly filling them all in on the meal they'd eaten and where they'd been. Joe could see the happiness shine in her eyes as she spoke and was pleased to see she'd had such a good night.

They got to the main road and crossed it to walk up the hill, the other three walked ahead slightly so they could say goodnight to each other with some privacy.

'I'll see you tomorrow ok?' Jason said, giving her a lingering kiss on the lips.

'Til tomorrow then...' she said, kissing him back and then ran on ahead to catch the other three up, blowing him a kiss as she went.

Jason turned around and walked back to the main road to wait for the others, already thinking about where they could go the following day.


	18. Chapter 18

Lexi woke up at around 9am, she was awoken by her mobile making the pinging noise to indicate she'd received a text. She sat up in bed and looked over at James still fast asleep, with his mouth lolling open and making snuffling snoring noises. She opened the text and saw it was from Jason:

"Morning gorgeous, I'll see you around 10.30. Bring your swimming stuff and a towel xx"

Lexi snuggled back down under the sheets to grab an extra half hour's sleep. She lay there, but sleep eluded her as thoughts turned over in her mind about the previous night and the confused feelings which Jason had stirred in her. She could feel that he was getting under her skin, a feeling which she was having problems getting her head around as she was frightened of falling in love with him. She was sure that at the end of the holiday she'd never see him again. Why would she? He'd go back to his starry life and forget she ever existed and soon find another woman to amuse him and she was sure she'd be a lot prettier than she was.

Jason was in the kitchen getting his breakfast when Josh appeared, 'How are you Jay?' he asked, reaching up and getting a cereal bowl down from the cupboard and pouring cornflakes into it.

'Fine thanks mate.' Jason replied, taking a swallow of his tea.

'Good night then last night?' Josh asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Jason had told him where he was going with Lexi the night before. Josh found it amusing as he'd never seen Jason this keen on a girl before.

'Yeah, it was great thanks. Is it alright if I take the car today? I want to take Lexi to Voidokilia beach.'

Josh nodded, 'Yeah as we had it last night, you take it if you want.'

Jason grinned. 'Thanks mate, what will you do today?'

'Dunno. I think the lads just want to head down to the beach and maybe try a bit of windsurfing. We'll walk there as it's only half an hour down the road and we'll have dinner here tonight I think. Why don't you bring Lexi back here after you've been out for the day and we could all have dinner together? If her parents and brother want to come too, the more the merrier - that James is a nutter.'

'That's a good idea. Do you want me to stop at the supermarket on the way back and get anything for dinner as I've got the car?'

Josh handed him a shopping list, already written out. 'I had it ready for you!' he laughed. 'You can't say I'm not organised, eh?'

He quickly texted Lexi and invited them all over for dinner at the villa that night and she replied back a few minutes later to say they'd all love to come.

An hour later Jason was on the road to Finikounda. Lexi had texted him to say she'd wait outside for him in the sun and as he drew up he could see her waiting on the wall for him. She waved and came running over to the car so he didn't have to get out. 'Hi Jay. How are you?' she asked, leaning over and giving him a kiss like she hadn't seen him for ages.

'That was worth waiting for,' he said with a smile, returning the kiss and tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear which had come loose. 'I'm good thanks - all the better for seeing you though.

'So where are we going?' she asked, picking up the map and pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head to look.

'Voidokilia beach,' he said, pointing it out on the map. It's one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece. On one side is the sea and a beach which is on a spit of land, and then on the other side of the beach is Gialova lagoon and wetlands area. It's a really lovely part of the world, I hope you like it.

'Sounds lovely,' she replied, glad she'd remembered her swimsuit. She was sure this was the beach her mum had mentioned was a must-see.

They arrived at the beach itself, about an hour later after passing through several small towns and through the wetlands. They'd both laughed, that considering it was supposed to be such a famous beach it wasn't exactly well sign-posted, the signs stopped and after a few false turns they eventually found it. They parked up and Jason said she had to see the beach from a spot he'd found last time, they scrambled up the hill to the side of the lagoon and sitting on the top were the ruins of a castle. The view from the top was spectacular, the beach curved around in a semicircle and the sea was the bluest topaz colour. To the other side was Gialova lagoon with it's reed beds and birds flying everywhere. It was so beautiful it took Lexi's breath away and she snapped photos on her phone for all she was worth.

'How about a picture of you, Jason?' she said playfully. He leant up against one of the stone castle walls, taking off his sunglasses so she could see his eyes and grinned at her sexily. "At least if I never see him again after this holiday I'll have something to remind me I had a holiday romance with one of the sexiest blokes I've ever met." she murmered under her breath, to herself.

He then set his camera up, so they could get a photo of the pair of them cuddled up together by the castle walls and then they set off back down the hill to the beach. By now, it was getting very hot in the midday heat and they were both sticky, so when they got down the bottom again Jason grabbed hold of her hand and led her to the far end of the beach where there was no-one else to disturb them and they quickly undressed down to their swimming clothes. Jason could see she had on a different bikini to the other day and it was a very flattering blue and white flowery number and he thought to himself that she had the most amazing figure. Lexi ran into the sea and sank into the cool water with a contented sigh, Jason was not far behind.

'Come here you!' hesaid, making a grab for her around the waist and kissing her hard on the lips. Her lips tasted of salt. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as they bobbed together in the sea, thinking about nothing apart from how great it felt to have him kissing her there in the sea.

They spent the next half an hour splashing around in the water until Lexi decided she was starving, so Jason went back to the car and fetched a cool box with bread, crisps and tomatoes to snack on, along with mineral water and Sprite sodas to drink

He flopped down on the blanket he'd brought with him and laid it out for them both.'Just have what you fancy'.

'Are you part of that?' she asked, giggling like a schoolgirl and kissing him on the back of his neck. 'God, you smell good...' she murmered, her lips still pressed to his neck as she put her arms around his waist and cuddled up behind him. He could feel her breasts pressed up against his back and tried not to think about the feel of her.

'Lexi, can I ask you something?' Lexi stopped kissing his neck and looked up at him, as he turned his face to look at her.

'Yeah, what?'

'Would you consider seeing me when we get home?' he so wanted to see her again and hoped she felt the same way.

'I'd love to Jason!' she replied, looking up at him with a big smile on her face. At once a weight lifted from her, because she knew it meant he liked her as much as she liked him.

'Right, well that's sorted then!' he said, grinning at her too. 'Lexi, I promise we will see each other again no matter what. As long as you can put up with the job I do and the odd hours it keeps, I want to be with you. I'm sure this isn't just a holiday romance because I felt something happen here when I met you.' He tapped where his heart was, and looked at her intensely. 'Do you know what I'm trying to say? Something hit me like a thunderbolt the first time I saw you.'

'I think so...' she replied shakily, wondering if this was really happening to her. She felt like she was in a dream and it was all happening to someone else not her. She hoped desperately that she wasn't going to wake up and find it was a dream.

'Lexi, I know we've only known each other a few days. I'm usually so in control of my feelings and what I say, but you make me feel like no-one else ever has and I don't want it to ever end. I know you've been hurt before and I won't let anyone do that to you again.

Lexi tried to interrupt him, but he motioned for her to wait, he wanted to say what he had to say before his courage deserted him.

'Lex, I'm falling in love with you.'


	19. Chapter 19

Jason looked up at Lexi sheepishly wondering what her reaction was going to be, hoping she felt the same way. The expression on her face was unreadable - she looked shocked, but Jason couldn't tell what exactly going on in her head and she wouldn't meet his eyes, as she turned over in her mind what he'd just said.

Lexi's head was screaming at her. "NO, NO, NO!" and her heart and body were shouting at her "YES, YES, YES! GO FOR IT. TELL HIM YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY."

For a couple of minutes Lexi said nothing as she fought with the demons raging around inside her head. Her heart was telling her that she was as head over heels with him as he probably was with her, but her head told her that Michael had said the same thing to her a year ago and look where that had led.

Slowly Lexi looked up and met his gaze and felt herself melt inside. It was at that moment she realised that Jason wasn't Michael, that she had to follow her heart not her head, go with it and surrender to the way she felt about him. She gave him a small smile, 'I think I've fallen in love with you too. I just didn't want to admit it to myself as I was so scared of getting hurt again and wanted to protect myself.'

Jason pulled her towards him, tilted her chin so that her lips met his and kissed her. 'Thank fuck for that!' he said, relief running through his voice as he pulled away from her and winked. 'I thought I'd made a complete tit of myself there!'

Lexi laughed and said, 'don't worry I'll tell you if you ever do that!' she ruffled her fingers through his hair, making it stand on end. She leant forward and kissed him again, locking her arms around his neck and running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck where it was so soft.

Jason pulled away from Lexi and looked straight at her with a serious expression on his face. 'I know you've been messed about in the past and I have no intention of doing the same to you. Ok?' Lexi nodded, gave Jason a small smile and a gentle kiss on the lips, savouring the taste and smell of him.

By late afternoon, the sun was starting to lose it's fierce heat so they decided to head back to Finkounda. Lexi was showing signs of having caught the sun on her nose which was looking decidedly pink. They arrived back around an hour later, after stopping off en-route at the supermarket to get bits for dinner that night. Jason dropped Lexi back so she could get changed, with a promise to be back in an hour to pick the four of them. He was glad that Josh had suggested her family come over for dinner as it meant he could get to know them and they could get to know him better. Lexi leant over and kissed him goodbye and ran up to her parents' apartment to let them know to be ready in an hour.

'Hi mum!' she called, pushing open the door which they'd left ajar without knocking. At first she thought no-one was in as the bathroom and lounge area were empty. There was a muttering from behind the bedroom door and her dad's face and shoulders peered from around the door.

'Helloooo!'

'Oh. Hi dad,' she said, taking in the reddened and rumpled state he was in. She realised she'd obviously disturbed them "at it". 'Jason's coming for us all in an hour ok?' she flung over her shoulder, as she made a sharp exit, leaving them to continue what she'd quite obviously disturbed. She laughed to herself as she opened the door to her apartment and thought it was sweet that her parents were still so mad about each other after 30 years of marriage together. Though the thought of them having sex at their age was a bit weird to say the least.

She went back to her apartment and quickly got changed. There was no sign of James, apart from his clothes in heaps next to his bed and what looked like the remains of crisp crumbs in his side of the bed. Lexi sighed and set about cleaning the bedding. She really didn't want to get into bed tonight and find stray crisp crumbs in all her nooks and crannies.

When Lexi came back out of the apartment, her mum was already waiting outside the reception for Jason to show up and her dad was inside perusing the book swap shelf to see if there were any books worth borrowing to read by the pool the following day. He re-appeared a few minutes later shaking his head at the distinct lack of English books in there. He didn't really fancy the only book there, which was a Wilbur Smith one.

'Where's James? Lexi asked her mum, still annoyed at the state he'd left the room and bed.

'Well, you won't believe this, but he met up with three English girls who arrived today and he's gone out with them to show them the sights. I think he took a fancy to one of them and so he decided he'd rather go out with them.'

'Oh!' Lexi replied, somewhat relieved as it meant she didn't have to keep an eye on him to make sure he behaved. 'So how old are they then?' she asked her mum.

'I think they're about his age, they were telling him they booked online and got in a muddle, they thought they'd booked somewhere lively so they were very disappointed to turn up here and find there's bugger all really in the way of nightlife. Though I'm sure James will keep them all entertained'. Her mum laughed shaking her head ruefully

Lexi giggled, thinking about the mega pack of condoms in his suitcase. 'Yeah I bet he will!' Just as long as he didn't think about "entertaining" all 3 girls in their apartment whilst she was there, she really didn't care. The last thing she needed was a gang-bang in their room and James taking centre-stage.

At that moment Jason drew up in the car and James was forgotten about as the three of them got in. 'No James I see?' Jason asked, looking around the car park, then reversing the car. Lexi explained where he'd gone and Jason nodded. 'I don't suppose I blame him if they're the same age as him. He'd probably be bored at the villa just having a barbeque with us.'

When they arrived at the villa, Joe sniffed the air appreciatively. Calum and Ben were manning the barbeque, cooking steaks, chicken and fish baked in foil whilst Josh was in the kitchen making the salad and clearing up the trail of devastation the other two had left in their wake as they set about preparing the barbeque. Dinner was ready within half an hour and so they all sat under the gazebo by the pool and ate, Anna complimenting the lads on their cooking skills.

They chatted easily in the cool, night air about anything and everything, enjoying themselves immensely. Jason talked about life in the band which Joe found very interesting, all about the mechanics of how they made an album and Lexi was touched when Jason talked about the lads with great affection. 'When we get back Lexi, I'll take you to meet them. Though I'd better not leave you alone with Howard, all the girls fancy him and he was this glint in his eyes. I might come back and you've changed your mind and run off with him, eh?' Jason laughed.

Anna raised an eyebrow at Joe - this was news to them that they were planning on seeing each other on their return. She smiled a little smile at him and he knew that they were thinking the same thing. Maybe Jason was the best thing to heal Lexi's heart as he was obviously smitten with her.

The evening wore on and Lexi couldn't take her eyes off Jason. She knew some of it was down to the fact she'd maybe had one too many glasses of wine, but a lot of it was down to the fact that when he spoke about the other lads his eyes sparkled and he was so enthusiastic about the new work they'd done. She loved the way he licked his lips when he was thinking about what to say next and that when he smiled, his whole face came alive.

He looked over at her, caught her staring at him and winked cheekily. She blushed, realising he'd caught her staring at him and felt his hand come under the table and squeeze hers. She squeezed it back and then reached down cheekily and squeezed his thigh, feeling the taut muscles through his jeans leg. His eyebrows raised in surprise and he put his hand over the top of her's. 'Shall we go and get the desert?' he asked her, to take his mind off the feelings she was stirring inside him as well as in his jeans. She nodded and followed him into the kitchen.

'What's for desert then? she asked, looking around the kitchen, which was now looking a bit tidier thanks to Josh's hard work.

He indicated towards the fridge. 'Greek yogurt, honey and walnuts,' he replied, opening the cupboard and getting the walnuts and honey down for her. She found a bowl and poured the yogurt in, scattered the walnuts and drizzled the honey over the top and then grabbed a serving spoon and bowls. When she turned around Jason was looking at her.

'What?' she asked, wondering what was going through his head.

'I was just wondering what you'd look like with your hair down?' He walked over and brushed his hand through the tendrils around her face, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

'I'll leave it down tomorrow evening if you want?' she replied, a big smile on her face. 'I don't wear it down much as it gets tangled easily.'

Jason coloured as he thought about how he'd like to tangle her hair and probably not in the way she meant. 'Your hair is beautiful Lexi, it's one of the things I noticed about you first.'

Lexi put her arms around his waist. 'Thanks Jay! I think we should get the desert out to the others or they'll think we've either got lost or we're busy licking it off each other!' she clapped her hand over her mouth, mortified that she'd voiced exactly what she'd been thinking. 'Oops, I think I may have had a glass of wine too many Jay!'

He licked his lips and looked right at her, his blue eyes staring straight into hers, 'I can think of nothing better Lex, I'm game if you are!'


	20. Chapter 20

Maybe another time eh Jay?' Lexi laughed with regret, as Calum came bursting into the kitchen on the look-out for another bottle of wine.

'Ooh, did I disturb something?' he asked, sniggering dirtily at them both as they jumped apart. He was secretly pleased that his arrival had caused them to pull apart. He was still feeling a bit sore about Jay bagging Lexi and felt like she'd been snatched from under his nose. He knew he wasn't being very grown up about things, but the alcohol exacerbated how he was feeling.

Lexi and Jason followed him back out to the gazebo, both none the wiser about the way Calum was secretly feeling. Lexi was feeling decidedly wobbly on her feet so she poured herself a glass of water when she got back to the table to try to sober herself up a bit.

'Jay, where's the bathroom?' Lexi asked, realising that the water on top of the wine had made her need the loo. He gave her directions and she disappeared back into the villa to find it. Once in the bathroom she decided to splash her face with cold water, as she was feeling hot and dizzy, probably because of the drink she realised. Once she was done in the bathroom, she opened the door and stepped out into the tiled hallway area. Just off the hallway were four bedrooms, one belonging to each of the lads. She poked her head into the first one and saw clothes chucked all over the floor, aftershave and deodorant scattered all over the the bedroom cabinet. 'Bet this one isn't Jay's!' she laughed, shaking her head at the mess. She then wandered past the doorway to the next room and knew straight away it was Jay's room. It was tidy to the point of obsessiveness she realised. His couple of bottles of aftershave were neatly in a row, along with his IPOD and a book placed next to them on the dressing table. There were no clothes left out, everything had been tidied away and the room was spotlessly clean. She jumped as she heard the soft click of the bedroom door closing.

'Have you found what you're looking for Lexi?' abvoice whispered in the half-light.

Lexi jumped guiltily and whirled around to see Calum walking towards her with a lecherous grin on his face. At that moment she regretted her nosiness and wished that she'd gone straight back outside - she'd just been curious to see where Jason slept and to look at the inside of the villa which looked so beautiful from the outside.

'Ermmm... I got lost,' she replied, fumbling around for something to say that wouldn't make her look like some kind of nosy stalker. Her eyes shifted towards the door wondering whether she'd be able to get past Calum as the look on his face was making her uneasy. He stood with his feet apart and his arms folded in a defensive gesture. He took a step towards her and grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into the skin.

'So, what makes you think you're too good for me then?' he hissed at her, his face just inches from hers.

'I..I don't! she answered, trying not to let her voice tremble. She realised that she still felt hot and dizzy from the alcohol and knew that she was no match for his stocky build.

'So, why did you make me look a fool in front of my friends at the hotel and then cop off with my friend?' he hissed back at her, making her shrink back towards the bed. She put her hands behind her as she walked backwards trying to ascertain where everything was in the room, so she didn't trip over anything.

'I wasn't interested in a relationship when you spoke to me and I didn't fancy you. When I met Jay something just clicked and I've fallen for him,' she whispered gently, trying to calm him down. 'I'm sorry. I didn't realise I made a fool of you.'

'Funny that he's famous and loaded too, eh?' he replied nastily, jabbing a finger into her chest and causing her to step further backwards. As she stepped backwards she tripped over a storage chest at the end of the bed and fell back onto the bed. Calum took a step forward, until he has at the end of the bed. Lexi tried frantically to scramble backwards on the bed to get out of his way, but wasn't quick enough as he scrambled onto the bed after her. By now he was facing her, he shoved her so she was laying on her back and pinned her arms down with his large hands, his knees in between her legs. She realised the whole of the top part of her body couldn't move as Calum looked at her lecherously.

'Not too good for me now, eh?' he said sarcastically. His mouth was so close to hers she could smell the sour smell of the copious amounts of beer he'd put away that evening. Lexi's heart hammered in her chest and she felt sick with fright wondering what he was planning to do.

His mouth came crashing down on her's and his tongue invaded her mouth. He let go of one of her hands and grabbed her breast hard through her top, squeezing the nipple hard. She knew if she didn't do something and soon he might seriously hurt her. Just at that moment she heard Jason calling her name and Calum dragged his mouth from her's and looked around frantically to see where Jason was. Lexi grabbed her chance and drew her knee up and kicked him in the balls as hard as she could, causing him to yelp in pain. He drew his hand back and smacked her hard around the face, bringing tears to her eyes. You bitch!' He hissed, but didn't move quickly enough as she kneed him again in the same place. He yelped in pain and got off her, still holding his hand to his groin which was throbbing with pain and made for the door.

'You touch me again Calum and I'll kill you!' Lexi shouted at his retreating back as he hurried out of the door, tail between his legs.

Jason on hearing Lexi shouting came running towards the bedroom just as she staggered out still shaking from her encounter with Calum.

'What happened?' he asked, looking shocked at the terrified expression on her face.

'Nothing Jay. Calum followed me in here - I got lost and he found me,' she lied, not wanting to upset the apple-cart and cause a rift between Jason and Calum as she knew they were old friends.

'Why did you shout at him?' he asked her. He'd heard her shout out loud, but not what she'd actually shouted to Calum.

'Ermmm, I just told him to leave me alone as he tried to kiss me,' she replied. 'He seems to have got the message now though,' she crossed her fingers behind her back for lying to him. She felt bad lying and hoped that she was doing the right thing.

'Come on luv,' he said, taking hold of her hand. 'Let's get you back to your apartment for some beauty sleep, eh?' she nodded and followed him out of the bedroom and out to the car with her parents. They walked past Calum's bedroom, which had it's door firmly closed. He was lying in bed feeling somewhat stupid at having got so angry at Lexi for fancying Jason over him, dreading that she might tell Jason what had happened in the bedroom and what repercussions could follow. Burying his head under the pillow, he groaned out loud at the thought that he'd been on the verge of doing something to Lexi which could have resulted in a jail sentence.


	21. Chapter 21

They drove home in silence, Lexi turning over the night's events in her head and when she looked down she realised she was still shaking. Jason glanced over a couple of times to Lexi as she sat in the front seat next to him in concern. She'd been very quiet all the way home and he was worried that maybe she was having second thoughts about him, or was there more to it than that? He wondered, chewing at his bottom lip in agitation.

They drew up outside the reception and Anna and Joe got out and thanked Jason for driving them home, slamming the doors shut and waving as they walked up the stairs. Lexi was expecting him to just give her a quick peck on the lips and drive off, but he reversed into a space and turned the engine off. 'I'll walk you back to your apartment,' he said, squeezing her leg. She flinched involuntarily, quickly opened the door and got out, heading straight for the steps up to the apartment. Jason jumped out, now really confused what was going on in her head and wanting to find out what was wrong.

He reached the top of the steps and Lexi was trying in vain to get the key in the lock and failing miserably, as she was shaking so much. Jason gently took the key out of her hands and turned her towards him putting his arm around her. 'Do you want to tell me what's up?'

'No Jason, it's nothing! I've just had a bit too much to drink,' she snapped and made a grab for the key. 'I just want to go to bed!'

He opened the door for her and followed her inside. He knew it wasn't just the drink and he wasn't going to leave her until he got to the bottom of what was wrong, even if it was something he didn't want to hear, such as she didn't want to see him again.

Lexi sighed and put her handbag and the doorkey on the kitchen table, then went to the fridge and opened it to get a bottle of mineral water out. She wanted to play for time to decide how to tell him what had happened. She knew Jason wasn't going to let it lie and she realised she couldn't keep Calum's attack on her secret. She pushed open the bedroom door, to make sure James wasn't home yet and when she realised the bed was empty she turned around and looked at Jason, 'go through the bedroom and sit on the balcony while I get us both a glass of water. We need to talk.'

He wandered out onto the balcony and sat down on one of the chairs, he was feeling a bit nervous about whatever Lexi had to say to him. She came out hesitantly onto the balcony and brushed past him to get to the other chair. Setting the glasses down on the table, she spilt a little as her hands were still shaking. Jason touched her hand and drew it in his. Pulling her towards him, he realised she was shaking and he could just make out in the half light a red mark on her face where Calum's hand had struck her earlier. He was amazed he hadn't noticed it when he'd come to find her in the villa. 'Lexi. Come here. Now, what's going on?' he asked her softly. He drew her down onto his lap and put his arm around her waist, her head resting against him. 'What's with the red mark on your face?'

'Jay, I don't quite know where to start,' she heaved a big sigh and immediately burst into tears, her whole body shaking with the sobs.

'At the beginning usually helps,' he said, reaching into his pocket for a handkerchief and wiping her tears away gently. 'So, what's bothering you? C'mon out with it...'

In fits and starts she told him the whole tale, reddening when she got to the part where she confessed that she'd had a peek in his room. He nodded and moved his hand from her waist to her neck, stroking the back of her head as she spoke haltingly. When she got to the part where Calum had pinned her to the bed, kissed her and then hit her when she'd fought back, he wanted to kill him for touching her. He realised if he hadn't come looking for her things might have ended even worse and he was angry at himself for trusting Calum. He'd never known him to behave like that, but when he thought about it he realised he didn't know Calum as well as Josh did. Josh and Calum had known each other from school, but as far as he knew Josh had never mentioned that he had a temper or that he'd treated a girl like he had Lexi.

When Lexi had finished, he kissed her on the forehead, brushing away the last of her tears. 'I'll kill him' he said in a low voice betraying the cold anger he felt. 'How dare he do what he did to you! If I hadn't have called you, he might have raped you.'

'Promise me you won't hurt him Jason,' Lexi said. 'I kicked him twice where it hurt, so hopefully he'll think twice before doing that again! You could make things even worse in the long run.'

Jason didn't want to promise anything of the sort, but Lexi kept begging him not to hurt Calum. She just wanted to forget about it happening and to not set eyes on him again. Eventually after much persuasion he nodded. 'I'll think about it, but I am going to speak to him.' He wanted to think over what he was going to do about Calum when he'd calmed down a bit.

Lexi cuddled up against him, at long last starting to relax. She could feel his hand still stroking her hair, it felt so good and was making her sleepy. Her head slipped forward and Jason realised she was asleep, so he stood up, still holding her in his arms and carried her over to the bed laying her down softly onto it. He correctly assumed the side with no crumbs and no lads mags was her side of the bed. She stirred slightly feeling disorientated, Jason shushed her and quietly told her to go back to sleep. She sighed and closed her eyes again. He took off her shoes setting them by the wardrobe, found her cleanser and took off what mascara was left on her eyes thinking that she probably wouldn't want to wake up with panda eyes, then disappeared into the bathroom and eventually found some antiseptic which he gently put on the red mark on her face where Calum had hit her. He'd left a tiny little graze where his ring had connected with her skin.

Once he was done, he laid down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her waist. Within minutes he too was fast asleep, his body pressed up behind her. His face close to the back of her head, where he could smell a faint smell of her perfume and shampoo.

Not long after, James arrived back with one of the girls in tow, Louise. He was hoping that Lexi might not be back and he might get enough time to have a bit of fun with her in the bedroom. After all, he had all those condoms to use and didn't want to waste them!

They got to the top of the apartment steps and Louise was already struggling with the zip on his trousers and he was pulling at her blouse in an attempt to get his hands underneath. He opened the front door, not seeing Lexi's stuff on the table and assumed she wasn't home yet. He assumed she was probably still at the villa being all lovely-dovey with Jason.

They crashed into the bedroom and switched the light on, lips stuck together like two sink plungers until they suddenly noticed Jason and Lexi sitting up rubbing their eyes, unaccustomed to the bright light which had just awoken them.

Louise looked over at the bed and said at the top of her voice:

'OH MY GOD JAMES! WHAT IS THAT BLOKE HOWARD FROM TAKE THAT DOING IN YOUR BED?'


	22. Chapter 22

Jason and Lexi looked at each other and cracked up laughing. Jason was well used to this - even the newspapers got it wrong a lot of the time and muddled him and Howard up.

Louise's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish - she thought she was going to be getting a good seeing to from James and instead it looked like his sister had been getting it instead! James backed out of the room, attempting to pull Louise behind him but she wasn't ready to go quite yet. She walked over to the bed, licked her lips and gave Jason what she thought was a sexy look. 'Hello Howard. My name's Louise. Nice to meet you! I love your music you're my favourite band!'

Jason smirked and replied, 'lovely to meet you too Louise.' He could bet his life on it that she'd never owned a Take That record or been to one of their concerts in her life. 'So, what's your favourite Take That single? I always love to know what our fans like,' he said, his lip twitching as he tried to keep a straight face. Lexi bit her bottom lip and tried hard not to laugh as she knew exactly where this conversation was heading.

'Ermm... I love the song "Love me for a reason", Louise replied, after a couple of minutes thinking.

Jason nodded with a serious expression on his face and stroked his chin as if in thought. ' Yeah, that's one of my favourites too. Though I love singing "Words" too as it means we can have a rest and sit on our stools when we sing that one.'

'Well.... I can see you're a bit busy here,' stuttered James, coming over to Louise and grabbing her by the hand. He knew that Jason was playing with her. Plus, he was feeling seriously horny and wanted to sort that little problem out. 'There's a spare bed at your apartment isn't there?' he asked winking at her, so she got the message.

'Yeah,' she replied, looking Jason up and down like she'd much rather have him instead and then she reluctantly followed James out of the room and the front door slammed shut.

Jason and Lexi looked at each other and Lexi snorted with laughter. 'That was priceless! She was naming Boyzone songs!! Well, that's certainly cheered me up! So much for her being a fan. She didn't even know any of your songs!'

'Do you want me to stay?' Jason asked her. 'I promise I'll behave and keep my hands to myself.'

'That would be lovely,' she replied, giving him a small smile. 'I already feel a lot better after I've talked to you about it.'

Jason got up from the bed and tidied up James's side of the bed, putting the magazines on the bedside table. He pulled the sheet back and swiped his hand across the bottom sheet, until he'd cleared it of all the crumbs laying there.

'How do you share a room with him? He's a pig!' Jason asked her, shaking his head at the state James's side of the room was in.

'With difficulty!' she replied. 'But, he was good and agreed to step in the breach when Michael finished with me, so I guess I can't complain can I?'

Jason made to get back in the bed fully clothed. 'Jay, you'll be boiling hot! Take your trousers and shirt off and just sleep in your underwear if you want.' Lexi said. 'I trust you enough.'

Jason quickly stripped off down to his black Calvin Klein's and slipped under the covers, hoping to god that James hadn't been wanking or anything under the covers. He wouldn't put anything past him with his dirty habits.

Despite the evening Lexi had had she couldn't help herself, her eyes flicked up and down his body as he got into the bed. "God, he's one sexy bloke!" She thought to herself. She got up off the bed, pulled the sheet back, then turned her back on him and took her clothes off just leaving her pastel pink bra and knickers on. Jason swallowed hard and looked away as she walked towards the bed. She looked so beautiful, but after what had happened to her tonight he thought the last thing she'd want was him cuddling her with an erection or looking like he was trying to erect a tent with it under the sheets.

She got in and breathed a deep sigh. 'Thanks Jason. I really appreciate what you did tonight.' She leant across and kissed him on the lips briefly and then switched off the light again, using the light switch above the bed. 'I love you Jay.'

'I love you too Lexi.' Jason replied sleepily, kissing her back. He lay there in the dark for a few moments willing his hard-on to subside. Despite the fact she'd only kissed him, his heart was racing around in his chest like a jack-hammer. He rolled over onto his front and it gradually disappeared and within a few minutes he was asleep.

Lexi lay there mulling things over in her mind and tried to work out what Calum had been thinking to attack her like he had. She knew she hadn't led him on, so she could only assume he was still sore at her ignoring him all those days ago. It just didn't make sense! She looked over at Jason's profile which she could just make out in the darkness wondering what he was going to do to Calum.

+++++++++++++

Jason awoke to the sound of the cockerel crowing in the farmyard next door and the sun just peeking through a small crack in the curtains. He looked across at Lexi still fast asleep, the sheet pulled up over her chest with one shapely leg poking out of the sheet the other side of the bed. Her hair had escaped it's ponytail and hung in a dark sheet around her shoulders.

He jumped into the shower and quickly washed his hair and eventually decided what he needed to do about Calum. By the time he got out, Lexi was sitting up in bed waiting for him. 'Hi' she said shyly, as he walked into the room towel drying his hair with another towel tied around his waist. He leant across and planted a tender kiss on her lips. Lexi wound her hands around his neck playing with his wet hair and returned the kiss slipping her tongue playfully into his mouth.

Just at that minute Jason's phone rang. With a groan he pulled away and answered it, Josh was on the other end asking where he was. He swiftly explained that he was at Lexi's apartment, and said he would be back in around half an hour, as he needed to urgently speak to him and not to go anywhere. Josh must have made some jokey comment about him staying at Lexi's as she heard him reply sharply to his younger brother. 'No, it's not like that Josh. She needed me!'

He grabbed his clothes up, took them into the bathroom and quickly got dressed, returning to Lexi in the bedroom who was looking confused by now.

'Lex, I need to go back and speak to Josh about what happened last night,' he explained.

'I don't want everyone knowing what happened last night.' she said, looking embarassed. 'It's bad enough that I'm going to have to explain this to my parents,' she said, indicating the small mark on her face.

'Just trust me that I'll sort it out if I can and I promise he won't ever attack you again. Ok?'

She nodded and accompanied him to the door to let him out, giving him a kiss goodbye. 'Jay, I want a day on my own with my family if that's ok with you?' she asked. She knew that Jason had things to sort out and she just felt she needed a day with her mum and dad.

Jason felt a bit disappointed, but understood why she wanted some time to herself. He headed off into the early summer sun and drove back to the villa with a sinking heart at what he had to tell Josh.

Josh was sitting outside the villa by the pool for Jason when he drew up. 'I need a cup of tea and some breakfast.' Jason said. He quickly disappeared into the kitchen, got breakfast and carried it outside to Josh, a cup of tea for himself and a cup of coffee for Josh too.

'So, what's going on?' Josh asked, raising an eyebrow. 'Calum's locked in his room and won't come out. What's happened?'

Jason gave Josh the bare bones of it, Josh nodding and asking the odd question now and then. 'The bastard!' he said, when Jason had finished. 'What are you going to do?'

'You'll see.'Jason indicated that Josh follow him and they headed inside the villa where Jason fetched his laptop. He logged onto an Olympic Airlines website and booked Calum a ticket on the next available flight via Athens back to Manchester. Luckily Calum's wallet lay on the coffee table, so he took Calum's credit card out and used it to pay for the flight. There was no way he was going to pay for Calum's flight home on his own credit card! He then went and pulled Calum's large backpack out of the cupboard in the hallway area. Then, he banged on Calum's door. 'Come out now, you fucking coward!'

There was silence for a minute and eventually Calum's face poked out of the door. 'Yeah?' he snapped, a sneer on his face.

'What were you playing at last night?' Jason asked, through gritted teeth, hating Calum for attacking Lexi. He wanted to knock the look off his face.

Calum shrugged. 'Dunno. I'd had too much to drink and I found her in your room nosying around. I bet she's only with you because you're famous! I mean, come on you're a bit old for her aren't you?'

Jason had so wanted to keep his cool and not stoop down to Calum's level, but he saw red. With a yell of "bastard!" he stepped forward and smacked Calum squarely in the mouth. Calum yelped and stepped back, holding his mouth. Jason stepped forward and shoved Calum hard, so he lost his footing and fell backwards against the wall. Jason pinned him against the wall and hit him again and again. Calum realised he now knew the meaning of the word to "see stars" and slumped against the wall, not even bothering to attempt to fight back.

'Jason, he's not worth it!' shouted Josh, stepping forward to stop Jason. He grabbed his collar and yanked him off Calum. He'd seen enough and had seen Calum for the despicable person her really was. Plus, he was worried that Jason was going to seriously hurt him. Jason stepped back breathing heavily and feeling slightly ashamed, as he knew Lexi wouldn't be impressed that he'd hit Calum.

'Right, here's your bag! Get packing and piss off out of here!' Jason yelled, throwing the bag at him. 'Josh will drop you off at the airport and here's your ticket!' He shoved the ticket at him and walked off. 'Josh will you drop him at the airport and make sure you see him get on the plane? I can't bear to look at him again!'


	23. Chapter 23

Jason breathed a sigh of relief when Josh and Calum left for the airport. He was relieved to see the back of Calum and knew that it was for the best, as now it meant he couldn't hurt Lexi. He realised that not only did he love her but, he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her with each passing day. The thought scared him to a certain extent as he'd never really given his whole self to a relationship. He sent her a quick text:

CALUM ON HIS WAY BACK TO MANCHESTER. MISSING YOU ALREADY! HAVE A GOOD DAY WITH YOUR PARENTS. CAN I TAKE YOU FOR DINNER TONIGHT? LOVE U J XX

A couple of minutes passed and his phone pinged with the reply that yes, she would love to go for dinner and she missed him too. He smiled to himself and replied to her that he'd pick her up at 8pm.

Jason spent the day by the pool, swimming and sunbathing with Ben and Josh when Josh came back from the airport. Jason had explained briefly to Ben what had happened and Ben had shook his head in disbelief that Calum could have harboured a grudge for all these days, just because Lexi hadn't fancied him. Josh confirmed that he'd seen Calum climb up the plane's steps and onto the plane, so by now he'd probably be on the plane from Athens to Manchester. They all agreed that possibly Lexi had had a lucky escape because Jason had come looking for her.

Lexi had spent a lovely, relaxing day with her mum and dad. They had both been very concerned when they'd seen her face when she knocked on their door in the morning, on her way to the supermarket to see if they needed anything. Neither could believe that they hadn't noticed it either the previous night, but then it had been dark on their way back home in the car. Joe put his arm around Lexi and cuddled her to him after she explained what had happened the previous night at the villa. 'Thank god Jason came looking for you darling, or god knows what would have happened to you! He's a good man Lexi and he quite obviously thinks a lot of you,' he remarked.

James had surfaced with Louise in tow just after lunch. He was looking like the cat who'd got the cream and was feeling in a good mood as he'd managed to put a serious dent in his packet of condoms last night. Luckily Louise had the double bed in the bedroom area and so he'd shared that with her, and when her friends had came back a bit later they'd slept in the beds in the lounge area.

Lexi looked up as Louise scooted over to her like her new best friend and perched on the side of her sunbed. 'Hi, we didn't meet properly last night did we?' she smiled, looking at Lexi with curiosity. She wouldn't mind to get to know a pop-star and it would great to get to know one as famous as Howard Donald, she thought to herself. Lexi smiled back at her indulgently - she knew exactly what Louise was up to and wasn't going to play along with her little game.

'Yeah, I heard you're Take That's greatest fan. Shame you didn't know that it was Jason and not Howard in the bedroom and that you were telling him the name of your favourite Boyzone song eh? Some fan you are!' she then flicked her eyes back down to her book, indicating that the conversation was over and she didn't want to make small talk. Louise sat there for a minute trying to decide what to do and in the end got up and went back over to James.

James introduced Louise to his parents and the two of them wandered over to the bar to get a drink. 'Your sister's a bit uptight isn't she?' Louise sniffed, glancing over to Lexi, who by now had her head stuck firmly in her Lesley Pearse book.

'She can be, but she's alright really. Can't say I blame her when you professed to being her boyfriend's band's biggest fan and didn't even know his name or their songs though eh?' he teased her and gave her a naughty wink. He pulled her towards him, planting a kiss on the end of her nose. 'Any more chance of a bit of jiggy later then?' he asked her loudly.

'You're bloody instatiable James!' she said, rolling her eyes and immediately forgetting about making a fool of herself the previous night in front of Jason and Lexi. They stood in the bar area kissing and cuddling and making a complete show of themselves.

Lexi glanced up and tutted, 'get a room for god's sake!' she muttered under her breath.

By the end of the afternoon, Lexi had made serious in-roads with her book and felt really relaxed and was looking forward to dinner with Jason that evening. James was off out again that night, with Louise for a meal with her and her friends. They were thengoing on to the one bar which stayed open after midnight, which was run by the only English couple in the village. Joe and Anna had decided to get a taxi into Methoni to have dinner in the village square there.

Lexi showered and sprayed herself with a little perfume and then selected a her pale blue linen sundress from the wardrobe and her pair of smart sparkly flip-flops. Her hair was still damp so she sprayed it with a little de-tangler lotion and then blow-dried her hair. By the time she had finished, it was hanging in a shiny curtain around her shoulders. She applied a touch of bronzer to highlight her light tan and some mascara, blusher and lip gloss. Stepping back, she looked in the mirror and was pleased and hoped Jason liked her hair down.

She went downstairs to wait for him on the wall outside the complex. It was a beautiful night with hardly any breeze at all and a haze still out to sea in the distance. Joe and Anna called out to have a good night as they came down the steps to also go out and Lexi waved a greeting and blew them a kiss.

Jason pulled up in the car a few minutes later. She wandered over and he jumped out the car, locking the door behind him as he walked towards her. 'Wow! You look stunning!' He said, stroking her hair and pulling her towards him. 'I've missed you so much. I felt like I was missing a part of me all day.'

'Thanks Jason. ' she replied with a big a smile. She kissed him, inhaling his after-shave and feeling her knees go weak with lust at the feel of his tongue parting her lips and kissing her.

Jason pulled away, realising they had an audience as James, Louise and her friends Courtney and Tiffany were on their way out and giggling away at them. He grabbed hold of her hand and ignored the four of them. 'Come on. Let's eat.'

They walked down the hill chatting nineteen to the dozen, Jason telling her all about booking Calum on the next flight back to Manchester.

'Did you hurt him?' Lexi asked, looking concerned as she'd noticed his hand was slightly swollen.

'Ermm yes. I'm sorry, but he said some pretty nasty things about you and I just saw red. I'm afraid I did hit him once or twice.'

'My knight in shining armour eh?' said Lexi, touching his arm lightly. She couldn't feel angry at him, because she knew her dad would have reacted the same way if it had been her mum for instance.

They arrived at the restaurant and ordered a starter to share of courgette fritters and tzatziki. The fritters were delicious dipped in the tzatziki. The waiter then bought them over swordfish for Jason and Kleftiko for Lexi, not that either of them ate their own dinner they shared each others. They shared a carafe of white wine while they ate, followed by an Irish coffee after dinner and by the time they'd finished they were stuffed and agreed that maybe they should go for a walk along the beach to walk off their dinner.

'Which way?' Jason asked, as they came out of the taverna looking in either direction.

'That way.' Lexi pointed towards the harbour. 'We could have a walk along the beach and over the headland and then walk back along the main road if you want. They set off at a leisurely pace and climbed up the hill past the fishermen's houses to the very top of the headland.

They stopped at the top and Jason put his arm around her waist pulling him to her for a cuddle. 'Lexi, you look beautiful tonight with your hair down. I love you.'

She looked at him, her heart hammering in her chest. 'I love you too Jay.' she held his face in her hands and drew it down to hers to kiss him.

'God Lexi, you don't know what you do to me, do you?' Jason groaned, pulling away from her. His heart banging as hard as hers was.

She looked at him mischeviously. 'Probably the same as you do to me, Jase?' she raised her eyebrow wryly and pulled abruptly away from him 'Come on!' she called over her shoulder and pulled him down the hill to the beach beyond. They reached the bottom of the hill and Lexi looked around her. 'Do you realise this beach is deserted?' she waved her hand around at the wide, empty expanse which stretched as far as the eye could see.

Jason's mind started working overtime, wondering what she was planning. She let go of his hand and spun around to face the sea. 'God, this is so beautiful!' she whispered, looking out to sea and admiring the view. The moon was full and low in the sky, a slight silvery pink tinge to it. It lit up the sea in a bright silvery glow, the tops of the waves sparkling like stars as they crashed on the shore. She darted a quick double check along the beach and satisfied there was definitely no-one around gave him a wicked grin, which he could just make out in the twilight.

'Come on Jason, do you fancy a swim?'

'Ermm, we have no swimwear.' he stuttered, shocked at her suggestion.

'Who needs swimwear?' she stood with her back to the sea, looking at him wickedly. 'Well come on, what are you waiting for?' In one swift move she pulled her sundress over her head and then slowly took her bra off. She stood there looking at him in just her tiny white lacy knickers. The moon was behind her lighting up all her body contours in the silvery light with a sparkling sheen and she looked stunning.

'Oh Jesus. Jesus.' Jason muttered under his breath to himself. He hadn't been expecting her to take her clothes off. He flickered a lustful gaze up her body, thinking how beautiful she looked as she stood in front of him.

'It's no good praying to Jesus. He's not coming to save you.' Lexi whispered, walking towards him and slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Jason unbuckled his jeans with trembling hands until he stood there in just his underwear.

'Do you want me as much as I want you, Jason?'

'God yes.' he replied, in a strangled sounding voice. Desperately wanting to make love to her there and then on the sand. He reached towards her to touch her breasts. She laughed teasingly and turned away, running into the sea, the waves splashing her legs as she ran in up to her waist. Jason followed her into the water, which considering it was night time was still warm. He swam over to her and pulled her towards him for a kiss, his tongue flicking the inside of her mouth, causing her to shiver at the feelings pulling at her insides.

Her fingers grazed through the hair at the back of his neck pulling them closer together. His mouth left hers and he flicked his tongue up her neck to her ear lobe, licking and sucking it until she groaned softly against his ear. She wrapped her legs around his waist, his feet shifting slightly on the soft sea bed as she did so, until her breasts came up level with his chin. He dipped his head down, taking one nipple in his mouth and circling it with his tongue, causing her to moan loudly into his ear. His hands were holding her bottom, keeping her legs steady around his waist. He lifted one hand and ran his cool fingers over her nipple, grazing it and making her moan again. 

'God, I want you Lex.' he murmered as he touched her nipples, causing a bolt which felt like electricity to shoot through her.

'I want you too Jason!' she whispered back in the darkness to him, as the waves lapped around them.

'Not here though Lexi.' he groaned as if in pain. He wanted her so badly it hurt, but he didn't want to be doing it in public, on the beach. She was too good for that. He wanted to do it properly and for it to be special. She nodded reluctantly in reply, she wanted him desperately but not on a public beach where they could get disturbed. She wanted their first time to be special.

Suddenly there was a muffled yelping sound coming up the beach of a dog, followed by it's owner. They pulled apart reluctantly and waited until the man and dog passed, without even noticing them in the water. Jason then helped Lexi out of the water. He lay his shirt on the beach so they could dry off and they sat down. Luckily it wasn't too cold, so he put his arm around her shoulder pulling her towards him to keep her warm. He noticed his phone was flashing with a message where it had fell out of his jeans pocket, as he flung them down on the sand and picked it up to read it. He was surprised to see a text from Josh:

'JAY, MARK'S BEEN TRYING TO GET HOLD OF YOU ON THE PHONE AT THE VILLA, HE SAID YOU WEREN'T ANSWERING YOUR PHONE. YOU NEED TO RING HIM URGENTLY. JOSH

He then noticed that there were 4 missed messages all within the last 20 minutes from Mark. Then suddenly his phone died, the battery had run out and he had forgotten to charge it. Lexi didn't have her phone, it was at the apartment still.

'Lexi, I'm really sorry it looks like there's been some kind of emergency with the band. I'd better get back to the villa and ring Mark from there. Hopefully he's left his number with Josh.' Lexi nodded, it couldn't be helped and she knew that Jason wouldn't do this unless it really was an emergency.

They reluctantly got dressed and walked back to the apartment where Jason left her after kissing goodbye and promising he would ring her first thing in the morning no matter what the emergency was.


	24. Chapter 24

PLEASE EXCUSE JASON'S REMARKS ABOUT ROBBIE. THEY ARE MERELY TO FIT IN WITH THE STORY.

Jason drove back to the villa, wondering what was going on with Mark and hoping it was nothing bad. His mind then drifted back to the encounter on the beach with Lexi and he smiled to himself about what he had planned for the following day, he hoped she'd be pleased.

He crunched up the gravel drive in the car and Josh came hurrying out carrying the phone. He'd obviously been looking out for Jason to arrive home. 'What's the hurry?' Jason grumbled, feeling somewhat annoyed at his night out having been curtailed.

'It sounded urgent!' Josh replied, shoving the phone at him and wandering back into the house, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Jason dialled Mark's number and waited for the phone to ring the other end. After a short delay the phone started ringing and after a couple of rings Jason heard the phone snatched up and a breathless Mark answer, he sounded like he'd run down the stairs to reach the phone.

'Hello Mark. What's up?' Jason asked tetchily. Surely nothing was that life shattering that Mark needed to disturb his precious holiday? It wasn't like he had many holidays.

'It's Robbie!' Mark replied, with a heavy sigh. He really hadn't wanted to ring Jason, but they'd tried everything else and Jason was their last option.

'What's he bloody done now?'

'He's gone AWOL. He's gone back to his bolthole in Surrey and said he's changed his mind, he wants out of the tour. He said he doesn't want any Royalties from the new album. It's just not going to work.'

'But the album's pretty much bloody recorded now. It's his voice everyone can hear on the majority of the songs and we're recording the press conference the week after I get back!' Jason yelled into the receiver. 'He's a selfish bugger! So what have you done to try and sort this then?' he questioned Mark.

Mark went into great detail, explaining how all four of them had tried to talk sense into him. They'd persuaded his wife Tina to speak to him, but to no avail and even their Manager and Record Company boss had tried, but none of them could persuade him to change his mind.

'It's bloody typical! He's self, self, self!' Jason sighed. 'So, what do you want me to do about it?'

'Well, the record company have said we have until the end of the week to persuade him or they'll pull the plug on the album. They'll also charge us for all the money spent on the studio time, the money they've paid to the album producer, Stuart. Our name will be mud! Who know's? If they get pissed off enough they may just drop us!'

'Ok, ok calm down! I get the gist.' Jason replied huffily. 'So, in other words I'm the last resort, is that it?'

'Yeah, something like that.' Mark muttered.

'Right, give me his number then! My battery's dead so I'm on Josh's mobile and he doesn't have Rob's number stored. I'll ring him and give him a piece of my mind - maybe that'll change his mind.

'Err, that's the problem. We must have tried 200 times between us, he's not answering his mobile or house phone. We just keep getting Tina, who's tried but bless her, he won't listen to reason. We've tried driving down there, but he's locked the gates and we can't get in. Something's obviously spooked him!'

'So, in other words you want me to come back don't you?'

'Would you?' Mark asked in a small voice.

'S'pose when you put it like that I have no option do I?' Jason sighed into the receiver, scratching his head with annoyance.

'Thanks so much mate!' Mark replied gratefully. 'I'm really sorry to have to ask you to do this.'

'So you should be mate!' Jason smirked ruefully into the receiver. 'I've met the girl of my dreams and you now want me to leave her.'

'I'm really sorry mate. I wouldn't ask unless we were desperate.' Mark apologised. 'The record company have offered to let you use the company jet to bring you back if you agreed.'

'So, exactly which day is the deadline then?' Jason asked with a sigh.

'We have until Friday and we are now at Monday night.' Mark replied.

'Right, well I'm not prepared to come back until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest, OK? I can't just disappear tomorrow without explaining to Lexi what's happened.'

Mark agreed and said he'd get it sorted for the jet to be at Kalamata Airport for around 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. He apologised again and Jason hung up the phone.

Josh came into the kitchen and looked at Jason with a quizzical expression. 'Everything ok?'

'Not really.' Jason replied and then explained what had happened. Josh tutting at Robbie's behaviour. Josh brought him over a cup of herbal tea and they chatted into the small hours about the "Robbie situation." Josh told Jason that he thought maybe Robbie was simply scared and had cold feet and when Jason thought about it, he had to concede that maybe Josh was right. It couldn't be easy for him to simply blend back into the band seamlessly.

+++++++++++++

The following morning Jason awoke early and his heart sank. He thought he would have another few days with Lexi and now his hopes were dashed in one move from Robbie. He was so angry at him and would let him know that when he saw him. He wondered how to break the news to Lexi, as he knew she was going to be upset.

He sent her a text letting her know he'd be over at 10am and that she should wear trousers and bring her bikini. She replied back within minutes that she was looking forward to seeing him soon. He wandered into the kitchen and got himself a bowl of muesli and some grapefruit juice, deep in thought of how he was going to word what he had to say. Josh and Ben were already in the kitchen eating their breakfast and called out a greeting.

Jason sat down and they discussed what they would do the following day. Josh offered to take Jason to the airport and to also bring Lexi if she wanted to come too. 'That would be good.' Jason said gratefully to Josh. 'Would you also mind making yourselves scarce tonight?' He asked them both. 'I'd like some time alone with Lexi. I'm going to maybe cook for her.'

'Oh yeah and the rest.....? ' Josh laughed. 'No problem eh Ben?' Ben shook his head in agreement.

Once he'd eaten his breakfast he quickly had a shower and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He whistled as he packed a few bits in a small ruck-sack. Despite the fact he was annoyed that he was leaving tomorrow, he couldn't help but be happy that he was seeing Lexi again. He grabbed up a CD for her, with their new album burned on to it. She'd said she didn't own any of their music and would quite like to hear the new stuff. She liked the odd single they'd made since their comeback, but she'd never got around to actually buying a whole album she'd told him.

He arrived at the apartment and Lexi was sitting outside, her hair tied behind her head in a plait and fastened with a pink ribbon. Her sunglasses were perched on top of her head. She waved at him and bounded over to the car.

'Hello sexy! How are you?' she asked breezily, winking at him. He smiled his gorgeous smile at her, making her heart skip a beat.

'Fine luv.' he replied, kissing her swiftly on the lips.

'So where are we going then?' she asked, feeling curious where they were going as he'd said to bring trousers.

'You'll see!' he replied. 'Come on. Hop in.' She jumped in and they were soon on their way out to the next town of Koroni. Jason turned the car off the main road just outside the town and pulled into a small complex of stables.

'You mentioned you horse-ride sometimes and I've done it too. So I thought you'd like to go for a horse-ride. What do you reckon?'

She nodded with excitement, her eyes shining. They walked over to the farmhouse and a woman came out, 'hello, Mr Orange is it?' he nodded in response as she handed him the helmets and all the other paraphernalia they'd need. She then went to the stables and brought out a small, black horse for Lexi, just the right size. Lexi fussed around the horse which the lady said had some obscure Greek name and then she went back and brought Jason's horse - a larger white horse which he got on.

Lexi burst out laughing. 'What's so funny?' he asked, his nose wrinkled in confusion.

'You're not going to believe this, but my nanna Daisy mentioned that one day I'd meet a man and he might be on a white horse. I was complaining that all men were shit's basically. It's just a bit surreal that here you are sitting on a white horse.'

They set off at a slow pace as it was both some time since they'd last ridden. 'Lex, I have a confession to make....' Her heart sunk and so he wasted no time in telling her the dilemma which Mark had rung him with. He could see by her face she was worried what he was going to say.

'Well I don't see that you had any choice Jase,' she sighed. She understood how important his career was and the implications if he didn't try to sort it out. Despite her not being a fan, she wasn't stupid. He explained that it meant he'd have to leave the following afternoon, but Josh would take them both to the airport if she wanted. She said she would like to come with them to say goodbye.They carried on riding for around an hour through the countryside around Koroni and then headed back for the stables. They thanked the owner - they'd had a lovely time.

Jason drove them down to the harbourfront of Koroni and they had some lunch overlooking the harbour. They threw their breadcrusts into the harbour laughing as the fish fought to get every last crumb. 'Shall we go and have a quick swim in the sea or a sunbathe?' Jason asked, his mind flicking back to the previous night's events in the sea.

They lay on the towels which Jason had laid on the fine sand, watching the kids playing in the sand nearby making sandcastles. 'Lexi, you're shoulders are burning. Do you want some lotion on them?' She nodded and indicated to her bag where her lotion was. 'It's in there.'

He squeezed dollops onto each shoulder working downwards, between her shoulder blades and down her back. Then he squeezed more on the tops of her thighs, doing the same. He tried not to think about what he was doing, willing himself not to think about her soft skin as he rubbed the lotion in. Lexi's stomach meanwhile, was doing somersaults. Her skin feeling like it was on fire as he rubbed away. 'Don't think, don't think!' she repeated to herself, as he carried on his ministrations. The tip of his tongue clenched between his teeth in concentration.

He flopped down onto the towel on his front. 'There you are, you're all done!' he was relieved as he didn't know how long he could've carried on without it being obvious to everyone on the beach how he was feeling.

She sat up and said; 'your turn now!' he groaned inwardly, thanking his lucky stars that he was lying on his front now.' She quickly applied the lotion to his back, squeezed out more on his legs and was applying it even strokes. Her fingers straying close to the bottom of his shorts, making him draw in his breath. 'Right, you're done!' she said, slapping him on his backside.

'Look in my bag, I bought you a copy of our new album on a disc. You can play it on my MP3 if you like. I've got it saved on there too - it's in my bag.' he said, pointing in the direction of his rucksack. 'It'll come through the speakers, but don't play it too loudly as you're one of only a few who's heard it.'

She delved into his bag and put it on, her head to one side as The Flood started. 'This is seriously good Jason!' She was tapping her feet in time to the music. 'Tell me if you have a solo one, I want to hear you sing.' He nodded that he would.

'So Jason, can I ask you something'

'Ask away....'

'God, this is embarassing, but exactly how many women have you slept with?'

He paused, thinking about which way to word his answer, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

'Do you want the truth or what I think you want to hear?' he asked, smiling shyly.

'The truth of course. I'm a big girl, I can take it.'

'To be honest I don't actually know. It was a lot in the 90's - probably far more than you can imagine. I'm ashamed of the way we all treated women in those days. Girls just threw themselves at us and all of us took advantage, and I mean all of us.' He blushed with embarassment and slid a glance her way to see what her reaction was so far. Her face gave away nothing at all, her foot just tapping away slightly to SOS. So he swallowed hard and carried on. When we split up I had a couple of "proper" relationships I suppose you'd call. I got engaged to a girl, but something was missing. This time around I've had a few girlfriends, but nothing really long-term as it's hard to keep a relationship going when you're on the treadmill known as Take That. That's not to say it's impossible, all the lads are now in long-term relationships except for me. I guess I've just not met the right person to make that effort for - well, until you,' he squeezed her hand, waiting for a reaction at the whole truth.

Lexi still looked impassive, mulling what he'd said in her mind. Nothing he'd said had really shocked her, it just made her realise just how inexperienced she was with men.

'Say something.' he said quietly, his stomach sinking that she might struggle to handle his past and feel jealous.

'I'm not really shocked - you explained a lot of it when I found out who you were. I'm going to look really inexperienced compared to you.'

'It doesn't matter to me.' he shrugged, seeing her looking worried. 'Don't worry.'

'I can't help it though, I've slept with one lad I went out with for a while before Michael and then with Michael. That's it! And to be quite honest neither experiences were a lot to write home about. Michael's idea of sex was like the Hokey Cokey - in out, in out and shake it all about!'

Jason burst out laughing. 'I've never heard that expression before!' He looked at her seriously. 'After what happened last night maybe I should get some condoms, they're not exactly in great supply here. There's not even a chemist anywhere local.'

'I know a man who has a job lot!' she laughed and regaled him with the story of finding the huge packet in James's case before they came.

Jason creased up laughing. 'I wouldn't want to part a man with something as precious as those are to James.'

'You don't need to worry Jase, I had the implant in my arm when I was with Michael and I hadn't got around to getting it removed yet. So, if and when we feel ready it's fine.' she couldn't believe she'd only known him just over a week and they were discussing something like this and it felt ok to discuss it.

They lay the rest of the afternoon talking and sunbathing. Lexi found she loved the album and guessed straight away which song Jason sang when she heard it - Flowerbed. 'Jase, you have a lovely voice! I've never heard your voice before.'

He blushed with embarassment. 'Maybe I'll play it on the guitar for you tonight if you want. Do you want to come to the villa and I'll cook dinner?'

Lexi nodded. 'I'd love that.'

They packed up their stuff as the afternoon sun was cooling slightly and made their way back to the car. 'I'll come over at around 7pm, ok? He asked her.

She nodded. 'Do you want me to bring anything like a bottle of wine?'

Jason replied quietly. 'No Lexi, just you.......'


	25. Chapter 25

Please note the end of this chapter contains a sex scene so if it's not your kind of thing don't read it.

Lexi nipped up to her parents apartment before going up to her apartment to get changed. She knocked on the door and her dad answered, he smiled when he saw her.

'How's things?'

She explained that Jason was having to leave early and the reason why. He nodded in understanding and tutted when she said that Robbie was the reason and it needed to be sorted urgently. 'I'm going to the villa to have dinner tonight, so don't worry if I'm really late. Then I'll be gone again first thing with Jay and Josh to the airport. So if you don't see a lot of me over the next day or so don't worry, ok?

'No problem.' I'll let your mother know.' She's out down the supermarket with James,' he explained, thinking it was a shame that Jason was having to leave, when everything seemed to be going so well for the both of them.

She ran up the stairs and had a quick shower and once she'd dried her hair, leaving it loose again, she took out a denim short skirt and a lilac camisole top with sequins around the neck. She sprayed her favourite perfume, found a necklace and earrings set and pushed her feet into her favourite smart flip-flops whilst clipping the earrings into her earlobes. 'You'll do!' She said to herself in the mirror, after she'd put a little light make-up on her face. She realised her heart was doing flip-flops in her chest - she wasn't sure if it was nervousness or excitement. Their relationship had been becoming more intense, but it felt right despite them only knowing each other for a short amount of time. She felt as if she'd known him all her life.

Jason arrived on the dot of 7pm and she was already waiting for him outside the reception. She jumped in the car leaning over to kiss him, feeling butterflies in her stomach again as she did so.

'You ok?' he asked her, looking her up and down and liking what she was wearing. The skirt showed off her tanned thighs and the lilac top suited her sun-kissed complexion.

'Yes, I'm fine,' she replied with a shy smile. She'd caught him eyeing her up and down and it amused her. He dragged his gaze back to the road and pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes, to avoid the glare of the sun falling lower in the sky.

They arrived at the villa within 15 minutes, Jason parked the car and opened the car door for Lexi. He took hold of her hand and they walked to the villa, past the pool and onto the gazebo area.

'Sit down.' Jason indicated to her to sit by the pool on the patio furniture and disappeared into the kitchen. A few moments later he was back and had brought out a glass of champagne each and sat down opposite her. 'Cheers!' he said, clinking glasses with her and sitting down on the metal patio chair next to her.

'I thought you said I shouldn't get too used to this?' Lexi laughed, referring back to the boat trip.

Jason laughed. 'You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get hold of this stuff over here, but you're worth it.' He leant over and gave her a big kiss on the lips. 'Now, I'd better get into the kitchen and bring out our dinner, he disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a few minutes later with a dish containing their dinner which he'd made himself and left cooking slowly in the oven while he collected her. It contained Lemon Chicken, which Lexi had told him was her favourite. Except he'd managed to persuade a Greek lady at one of the tavernas to part with her secret recipe, just for him. He'd only had to smile his trademark smile at her and the woman had been putty in his hands. Moments later the recipe had been produced.

Lexi exclaimed over the dinner oohing and aahing at how delicious it was and how much trouble he'd gone to get a recipe for the "authentic one". For desert they'd had honey and walnut cake, oozing with sticky honey and coffees.

'So, are you going to play me your guitar version of that gorgeous song I heard this afternoon?' Lexi asked, wanting desperately to have her own little private concert just for her.

Jason went and got his guitar, pushed his chair back and crossed his legs resting the guitar on his legs, his brow knitted in concentration and his tongue sticking out between his lips slightly, whilst he concentrated on making sure he hit the first note right. He started the song tentatively at first, feeling shy in case she hated it, but looked up and saw the smile playing across her lips indicating that she loved it. Gradually his voice built in confidence until by the end he'd hit his stride. His voice soared in the still, night air and Lexi's spine tingled at the sound of his voice singing the vocals. He finished and blushed with embarassment as Lexi burst into applause and loud whoops.

'More more!' she called out in appreciation. So he sang Wooden Boat for her, as it was one of his favourite songs which he'd sung at their concerts over the last few years. It was a song which he felt confident singing.

Lexi was gobsmacked at how good he was and the passion in his voice as he sang. She'd never even heard him singing before today when she listened to the new album, so it was a pleasant surprise. Like a lot of the general public who didn't know the band, she'd assumed he and Howard "just danced". She watched the expressions as they flitted across his face whilst he sang and thought how handsome he was and how lucky she was to have met him.

When he finished he looked over at her, his eyebrow raised and saw that she was crying. 'Jase, that was beautiful!' I loved it!'

'Come here....' he said in a low voice, putting the guitar down and propping it against the chair as he patted his lap, indicating for her to sit there.

Lexi stood up and came around the side of the table, as Jason pushed his chair slightly further back and pulled her down onto his lap, his arms wrapping around her waist.

'I have something for you,' he said, reaching into his jeans pocket and drawing out a small jewellery box.' I got this after I dropped you off.'

Lexi opened the box and saw it was a locket engraved with a simple heart. 'It's beautiful!' she breathed out loud, tears coming to her eyes.

'I'm afraid there wasn't time to engrave it for you, but I wanted to give you something from here to remember this holiday,' he said, taking the locket from her and fastening it around her slender neck. He removed the one she'd put on earlier and set it to one side on the patio table, adjusting the necklace he'd bought for her so it sat on her neck. 'Lex, do you know how much I love you. You're amazing and I want you so much. Do you know that?' he said to her, his tone earnest as he tried to explain how he felt.

Lexi nodded. 'I feel the same way about you! Thank you so much for the necklace, it's beautiful!' she kissed him softly and slipped her arm around his neck to cuddle closer to him.

Jason ran his fingers through her soft hair and breathed in the scent of her, wanting to capture the moment forever in his mind to recall whenever the wish took him. He lifted her hair slightly and kissed her neck at the back and then slowly planted butterfly kisses along the back of her neck. Lexi moved her head slightly, enjoying the feeling of his lips on her. She moved so that her face was facing his. He looked up, and she dipped her face downwards and he put a hand either side of her face, drawing it towards his for a kiss, his tongue slipping gently inside hers teasing the inside of her mouth until she felt dizzy and breathless.

Jason moved his hand to cup her breast through the thin t-shirt, his fingers kneading at her breast insistently. He wanted to touch her, to slip his hands under her camisole, but was unsure whether she would be OK with it.

'Do you think maybe we should go inside?' she asked him, wanting him to carry on, but scared that Ben and Josh would turn up at any minute and find them practically devouring each other on the patio.

'Mmm, good idea,' he nodded, refilling their champagne glasses and handing one to her. 'Is that what you want?' When she said yes he took hold of her hand. 'This way', he indicated with his head and Lexi followed him into the villa. He led her into the bedroom and she was pleased to notice the bedding was different to the night Calum had attacked her.

'Are you ok?' He asked her, realising that she may have had a flashback to the night of Calum's. He placed the glasses on the table next to the bed. 'We don't have to do this if you're not ready?'

'Yes, I'm fine, ' she replied, stepping towards him and putting her arms around his neck, drawing him towards her for a deep kiss. She raked her hands through his hair, stroking her fingers through it gently. He returned the kiss, loving the feeling of her hands in his hair. She moved her hands downwards to his face and placed one on either side of his cheeks, pulling him to her even more and revelling in the feeling of their tongues dancing together. He lifted his hands and slipped the straps of her top down over her shoulders, moving his mouth away from hers and kissed her shoulders, causing her to shiver with lust a the touch of his lips on her skin.

Lifting his mouth from her shoulders, he looked at her, raising an eyebrow to check she was still happy to continue. She nodded agreement, so he removed her top, tossing it onto the floor. Lexi was by now breathing harder, her pupils dilated with lust. She stood in front of him without her top on, her breasts still encased in her pink, lacy, bra. He swallowed hard, as he could see the darker circles of her breasts through the lacy material and wanted to kiss them. By now she was running her hands under his t-shirt, touching the top of the band on his jeans and his skin burnt at her touch. In one move she removed his top and ran her fingers over his nipples, causing him to catch his breath.

'I want to touch you, Lex, he murmered after a few minutes. He was enjoying every minute, but he was desperate to touch her and he wanted to make sure she enjoyed every minute. He reached around and undid her bra, Clasping his hands around her waist, he bent his head down to her breasts as he kissed each one, feeling Lexi shiver with pleasure.

His hand still encircled her waist as he undid the button on her skirt, zipping the zip downwards with agonising slowness and then dragging her skirt down until she stood in just her knickers in front of him. 

He took her hand in his and led her to sit down on the edge of bed. Taking hold of her hand, he guided it to the waistband of his jeans. She undid the button and the released the zip, pulling his jeans down his legs. He stepped out of his jeans and stood in front of her in just his underwear.

He leant forward and removed her knickers slowly, before kissing slowly downwards over her belly and continuing downwards. She looked up in surprise as she felt his mouth upon her and moaned aloud at the sensation of his tongue. She'd not been expecting him to go between her legs. She realised Michael had rarely gone anywhere near there very much, unless he felt he had to. And even then he didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing. She had always felt he was doing it because he felt he should and he spent as little time as he could to give her pleasure. Looking at it now, she could see he hadn't exactly been very good in bed. Jason saw the look cross her face and realised what she meant about her inexperience. It seemed fairly obvious by the startled expression which had crossed her face when he'd began to kiss her down there. She was groaning with pleasure, the feelings were like nothing she'd ever experienced as she teetered on the precipice and tumbled into the most unbelievable orgasm. He kissed a trail of burning kisses up her body, until he reached her mouth and kissed her deeply.

Standing up, he pulled his pants off quickly, throwing them on top of her knickers and bra and she immediately moved her hands down to touch him.

'God, Lexi I want you so bad,' he murmered into her ear, his stubble tickling her as he spoke

'I want you too,' she replied breathlessly.'

He pulled away from her and leant foward to kiss her again, nudging her legs apart as she wrapped her legs up around his waist, drawing him in deeper every time he pushed back in. Her head was thrown back, her eyes closed in ecstasy as they kissed until he felt her begin to orgasm and he tumbled into his own.

He collapsed on top of her, their hearts both racing for a minute or so. Their skin stuck together with sweat as he slid off her and looked over at her to see she was crying.

'Oh God, what's up?' he asked immediately feeling concerned. 'Did I hurt you?'

'No. It was fantastic. I didn't know it could be so good!' she replied, looking at him in embarassment. 'i'm crying because I'm so happy.'

He pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head, his arms going around her waist and cuddling her.

'Lexi, I love you. Hopefully I can always make you this happy.'

'I love you too Jay,' she replied, with a sigh and snuggled into the crook of his arm.


	26. Chapter 26

There's a bit more naughty stuff at the end, so if it's not your thing don't read. x

They lay in bed with their arms around each other for a while in contented silence, waiting for their banging hearts to slow down. Jason had his arms wrapped around Lexi, her head resting on his shoulder, whilst he stroked her hair with one hand.

'Lex, can I ask you something?'

'Yeah, ask away. What do you want to know?'

'Why did you stay with Michael all that time when he didn't make you happy?'

Lexi shrugged, even she didn't know the answer to that question. 'To be honest with you, I don't know why. I think sometimes people stay with a partner out of habit. I really thought I loved him, but now I've met you I realise that it wasn't love at all. What I feel for you is completely different. I was happy enough, but what I feel for you is amazing.' Now that she had been split up with Michael a while, she saw the selfish kind of person he'd been and was mystified herself why she'd stayed with him for the time she had.

'You're too good for someone like that,' Jason said, putting his hand under her chin and lifting her mouth towards his for a gentle kiss.

Lexi returned the kiss, 'Thanks Jason. That's a lovely thing to say.'

'Well it's true.'

'So, what's your plan of action with Robbie then?' she asked him, she was curious how Jason was going to talk him around if the other lads hadn't been able to do it, especially Mark. Jason had told her about Robbie and Mark having a special bond and he'd gone on to tell her about all the lads, so much so she felt like she knew them already.

'To be honest Lex, I don't know. I'm just going to go down to his house and then wing it from there I think,' he replied, shrugging his shoulders and running his fingers through his hair - something Lexi noticed he did when he was confused or worried about something. He guessed he'd have to wait and see how the land lay when he got there. He didn't really want to think about it yet, so deliberately changed the subject. 'Lex, we are still seeing each other when we get home aren't we?' He asked her. 'Us sleeping together doesn't change things, does it?'

She shook her head eagerly. 'You bet! If you want to see me again of course?'

He nodded in reply, there was no way he was letting her go now that he'd found his dream girl. He'd never met anyone like her before and he didn't intend to lose her now. He was sure that this wasn't just a holiday romance, because he'd never fallen as fast or hard in love before as he had with Lexi.

'Are you working the weekend after you get back?' Jason knew that he had a full week with the lads after Lexi got back, but he did know that he had the entire weekend free after that.

'No I'm not working. We've got a sale on that weekend and as I agreed to stay late on the Friday night to price it all up with a couple of the girls, my Area Manager gave me the weekend off as a thank you.'

'Can I come and see you then?' he asked her. ' Would you mind me coming to Cambridge and you can show me round?'

'I'd like nothing more than showing you around Cambridge, seeing as the only memory you have of it is of the Corn Exchange in the 90's,' she replied with a small laugh. She wandered over to her bag and took out a slip of paper and a pen and wrote him down her home telephone number and address and then tore a piece of it off and he wrote down his London and Manchester addresses for her.

'For when you come to see me,' he said, winking at her.

Lexi yawned and stretched, suddenly feeling very tired. 'Have I knackered you out?' Jason chuckled.

'Yep!' she replied, snuggling down into the crook of his arm and within minutes she was fast asleep. Jason looked over at her thinking she looked so pretty asleep. Eventually he fell asleep too with a contented smile on his face.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Lexi woke up around 7.30 am the following morning and realised she'd slept right through the night and hoped her parents wouldn't be wondering where she was. She assumed they would realise that she'd stayed the night, they knew how much she'd fallen for him. She quickly sent a text to her mum's mobile to tell her she was ok and had stayed at Jason's.

A couple of minutes later Jason awoke and looked over to Lexi laying next to him on her side. Her hair was falling like a curtain over her shoulders, and her hands were tucked under the side of her face as she looked at him. He smiled his devastating smile at her; 'Hello gorgeous, how are you? Still knackered?'

'No, I'm feeling VERY refreshed!' she replied, her eyebrows raising dirtily. She leant over and kissed him, putting her arm around his waist and her head in the crook of his arm to cuddle up to him.

He picked up his watch to look at the time and heaved a deep sigh. 'I suppose I'd better go and get in the shower, then we should have some time to be together before I go.' Luckily he'd packed his clothes pretty much the night before, so he only had toiletries and the previous night's clothes to pack away. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and scratched his head in a distracted manner, then walked towards the en-suite bathroom.

Lexi lay in bed admiring his firm backside and thighs as he walked away from her. She could hardly believe the amazing night they'd had together the evening before. Her stomach turned over with lust as she thought about it.. She heard the sound of the shower being turned on, Jason started to whistle and a mischevious smile crossed her face. She quietly sneaked out of bed and silently opened the bathroom door, peeking her head around it. The bathroom was a wet-room style with a power shower. Jason still hadn't spotted her sneaking into the room. He stood with his back to her, his head thrown back slightly and his eyes closed, the water drumming down onto his head. He raked his hands through his hair to wet it thoroughly, rivulets of water trickling down his back. Lexi swallowed hard, for a minute just admiring the sight in front of her. She thought to herself that she could stand there all day just looking at him, he was so handsome.

She clicked the door shut as quietly as she could, sliding the lock across, and tiptoed up behind him. Jason only realised Lexi was behind him when he felt her press up behind him, her nipples grazing his back as she kissed it. He made to turn around and she muttered 'stay where you are....' in a low voice.

She carried on kissing his back, along his shoulder blades, small butterfly kisses one after the other.

By now Jason's breathing was coming in shallow gasps and he tried to turn around again to touch her and kiss her. 'No....' she muttered again, enjoying the reaction she was having on him.

'You can turn around now Jay,' she said in a low voice, enjoying the knowledge that he clearly wanted her again. He moved to kiss her, 'I haven't finished with you yet.... ' she whispered, pushing him away slightly. She reached for the shower gel massaging it in her hands until she had lather in her hands and then spread it across his chest, down his stomach and continued their journey downwards. 'Jesus christ Lexi, what have I unleashed in you eh?' he moaned aloud, wondering what she had planned next, as the warm water rinsed the suds off his body.

'It's all your fault,' she said simply, taking a step towards him and dropping down onto her knees in front of him and taking him inside her mouth Lexi pulled back and looked upwards, with a small smile. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was enjoying what she was doing, so she continued. She stood up, the water still hammering down on their bodies and and ran her fingers up his stomach, through the dark hair tangled at the bottom of his stomach towards his chest and up to his shoulders. Jason shivered with lust as her fingers reached his neck and she locked them behind his head, drawing him down to kiss her. She plunged her tongue in his mouth tangling her tongue with his, teasing him.

Jason pulled away and pushed her up against the tiled wall his hand going to the back of her neck to lift her head up to kiss him passionately, the other hand going to her breast rolling the nipple between his fingers. Jason knew the effect he was having on her, by the sound of her low moans. He increased the pressure on her nipple, bending down to take it into his mouth and gently rolling it softly between his teeth as his fingers trailed down over her stomach and downwards.

Lexi's eyes were darting around the room, she spotted the frosted window with a low wooden ledge just large enough to sit on and grabbed Jason's hand. She gestured to the ledge and pushed Jason towards it indicating that he should sit down on it. He didn't need telling twice and sat down as she straddled him.

'Jason, I want to feel your scent on me the rest of the day. So even when you've gone I'll still feel you're with me.' she whispered, one lone tear coursing it's way down her cheek. He leant forward and kissed it away, wishing with all his heart that he didn't have to leave her.

She placed her hands on either side of his neck as they made love. She looked straight at him with a small smile on her face , her eyes boring into his which turned him on even more. Her face was pink and her hair was sticking to the side of her face but he didn't think he'd seen her looking more beautiful. She could feel waves building up inside her and let out a long drawn out moan as she came in shuddering waves which seemed to last forever as he tipped over the edge to join her.

In the kitchen Ben and Josh were just sitting down to breakfast. Josh looked at Ben and with a dirty grin said, 'looks like Jay won that game of Monopoly they're playing!'


	27. Chapter 27

Lexi and Jason walked into the kitchen a little while later to see Josh and Ben sitting there having just finished their breakfasts. Josh jumped up and flicked the kettle on for them both to have a tea or coffee.

'So I guess Jay won at Monopoly then?' he asked, laughing and winking at her and Jason, so they were both in no doubt that their noisy sex in the shower had been heard.

Lexi blushed bright red realising what he was referring to and felt somewhat embarassed that they'd both obviously heard what had been going on in the bathroom just a little while earlier.

'Something like that,' she mumbled, looking down into the steaming cup of coffee which Josh had thoughtfully put down in front of her, along with the sugar in case she wanted it.

'Cereal or toast?' he asked her, feeling a bit guilty at embarassing her.

'Toast please.' she replied, not really fancying the look of the muesli which Jason was pouring into a bowl - it looked ominously like something you'd find at the bottom of a hamster cage.

A couple of minutes later he set two rounds of toast in front of her with butter and jam which she ate quickly, desperate to get as much time with Jason before they left for the airport.

Jason swiftly finished his breakfast and glanced at his watch. 'We need to leave around 11.00,' he said to Josh to make sure that was ok with him. Josh replied that it was fine and that he'd make sure he was ready for that time.

'Shall we go for a walk?' Jason asked, holding his hand out to Lexi. She nodded, giving Josh her crockery which he was holding a hand out for, to put in the dishwasher.

They headed off outside, through the gates towards Methoni and walked until they reached the coast around half a mile from the villa. Jason sat down on one of the seats overlooking the sea and glanced across at Lexi, he really didn't want to have to leave her. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him, so that her head rested on his shoulder. For a few moments they sat in silence, just looking out to sea until he felt a shake run through her body next to him and he realised she was crying quietly. Turning around, he felt around inside his jeans pocket until he found a clean handkerchief and handed it to her. 'Don't worry luv, it's clean,' he said, with a sympathetic grin. If truth be told he felt a bit tearful himself but he didn't want her to know that.

They sat for around twenty minutes, their arms around each other and Lexi's head cuddled into the hollow in his shoulder. Jason kissed the top of her head as he heard the unmistakeable sound of a sniffle from her. 'Lex, we just have to get through the next 9 days or however many it is and we can have a weekend together.' Lexi nodded, but wondered how she was going to get through it. She knew she had to, but it didn't make it any easier. She'd fallen head over heels in love with him, pure and simple and her first sexual experience with him the previous night, coupled with more that morning had cemented her feelings even more so.

Jason looked once again at his watch and heaved a deep sigh. 'I guess we'd better make tracks.' He took hold of her hand and they slowly walked back to the villa, both wishing that time would stand still for them.

When they got back, Josh was just loading Jason's stuff into the car for him. He nodded at both of them. 'Ready?'

Jason nodded sadly, opened the car door and Lexi slid onto the back seat followed by Jason. Josh drove carefully to Kalamata airport - he knew that neither really wanted to go, so he didn't rush the journey. He could see in the mirror that they didn't let go of each other's hands the whole way and felt sympathy for the pair of them

All too soon they arrived at the airport and Josh pulled into the car park, easily finding a space as it was one of the quieter days of the week at the airport. It was a day where only Domestic flights came and went from the airport, so there were relatively few people around. Jason breathed a sigh of relief when he saw on the Departures board that all the flights were Domestic flights, to places he'd never heard of such as Kerkyra, Karpathos and Mytilene. At least it meant nobody should recognise him he surmised, and hoped it would mean that he could say goodbye to Lexi without being disturbed by fans or people who recognised him.

Still holding Lexi's hand, Jason headed for the Airport manager's office, knowing that he would be the person to speak to about the private jet arriving from England. He greeted Jason warmly and said that he'd been expecting him and that the jet was currently on time.

'Would you like to wait in my office or out here?' he asked Jason. The airport had a tiny waiting area and one check in desk, which was busily checking in a Domestic flight.

'Well, now you know I'm here I'll go back outside, we'll sit on the grass and wait for the plane to come in if that's ok?

The Manager nodded, taking Jason's case from him to look after. He didn't mind what Jason did - the airport was being paid a lot for the landing slot. It was ten times what the other planes paid so he was happy to let Jason do whatever he wanted. He smiled at Jason and wandered off saying he'd send someone to get him when the plane arrived.

All too soon they saw the jet approach and land smoothly on the run-way, taxiing towards the small terminal building. Lexi's heart was in her mouth at the thought that she was going to have to say goodbye and she didn't want to make a complete fool of herself. Jason took hold of Lexi's hand and gave her a sad smile, 'come on luv, I have to go.'

She got up, brushing the grass from the skirt she'd been wearing the previous evening and fixed him with a wobbly smile. 'OK. I hope you get it sorted with Robbie.'

They walked into the terminal building, not noticing the curious glances from people wondering who this person was who was going out to the private plane. The Manager stood discreetly to one side waiting to escort Jason to the plane. Jason took hold of her small hands in his and turned to her, a lump in his throat as he looked at her. 'Right, I'll see you soon. I promise. I'll phone you as often as I can,' he leant forward, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately on the lips.

'I can't do this.' Lexi choked back a sob as they parted and hurried out of the terminal building without looking back. She knew if she did look back she'd run straight back to him and then she would make a fool of herself. Jason watched her walking away with a heavy heart, wishing he didn't have to go.

As Lexi got outside into the bright sunshine, she saw Josh was waiting outside for her. He'd seen her and Jason disappear inside and knew she might want a shoulder to cry on. He pulled her to him and gave her a quick hug. 'Are you ok?' he asked her, holding her tightly to him.

She nodded and looked over to the fence which ran alongside the runway. She could see the jet parked outside the terminal building, the steps down ready for Jason to get on. 'Do you want to see him onto the plane?' he asked her.

'Yes.' she whispered, regretting that she'd walked away without a backward glance.

'I'll be over there.' Josh motioned with his hand to the end of the fence, away from Lexi so she could have some privacy.

A couple of minutes later she saw Jason striding out to the plane - she would recognise his walk anywhere. He'd managed to shake the Airport manager off and was carrying his own case. He glanced over to the fence and saw Lexi standing there, a lone figure on her own. Then she saw a small figure come out of the plane to the top of the steps, which she was sure was Mark and wave frantically at Jason. Jason waved back, put his suitcase at the bottom of the steps and indicated the figure 2 with his fingers to Mark, asking for him to give him two minutes. He came running over to Lexi as she stood at the fence, her fingers clasped around the metal. He kissed her once more through the fence, his fingers brushed hers and he whispered: 'bye Lex. I love you,' and then he was gone.

The plane taxied to the end of the runway and quickly took off, leaving Lexi and Josh behind. Lexi turned away from the fence and promptly burst into tears. Josh rushed forward and put an arm around her, leading her back to the car assuring her that it wasn't the last she'd see of Jason.

The drive back was uneventful, Lexi not really being in the mood for idle chat ,so Josh kept quiet for most of it until they were nearly back to Finikounda. Eventually, just outside the resort he spoke to her:

'Lexi, I know this is difficult for you. I know it's difficult for Jay too. He's absolutely head over heels about you and I've never, ever seen him fall this hard for someone before,' he wanted to say something to make her feel better.

Lexi turned to look at him and smiled gratefully. 'Thanks Josh, I love him too and I'm sure I'll see him next weekend.' Josh patted her hand and then looked back at the road and they continued their drive back to the resort.

+++++++++++

Jason settled back into his aircraft seat and looked at Mark. 'I wasn't expecting to see you!'

Mark laughed his trademark laugh. 'I thought you'd want to be filled in on what's going on first-hand. But first fill me in on this big holiday romance you've had. What's she like? You said on the phone she's the girl of your dreams - did you really mean that Jay?'

Jason smiled a Cheshire Cat grin and proceeded to tell Mark all about Lexi and how gorgeous she was. He showed him some photos of her from his mobile phone and Mark nodded, 'I can see why you like her. She's very pretty.'

Mark then proceeded to tell Jason what was going on where Robbie was concerned. It seemed that they were all set to record their interview for the press, explaining that they were back together and all was fine. In fact, Robbie seemed excited about the prospect of it and they'd worked out what they were all going to say. Then, one of the evenings after they'd been in the recording studio, Robbie had stupidly decided to go on the Take That website to see what the fans had been writing. Some of the comments about him had really upset him, he knew they were hypothetical because at this moment in time the fans didn't know he was even definitely re-joining the band. They were saying they wouldn't buy any records they made, they would boo him if they performed together on TV and if they did any concerts, some were saying they would boycott them altogether. Robbie was not good at dealing with stage fright as it was, and this just made things even worse.

Then to make matters worse, some of the tabloid papers had caught a whiff of the story that he might be re-joining and had ran stories about what a joke he'd look like next to the others, who were all fit and healthy and they'd found particularly unflattering photos of him looking fat, unhealthy and smoking a cigarette.

He'd just panicked and decided he'd quit while he was ahead and just forget all about it. The fans were never going to accept him anyway and he didn't want to try to convince them otherwise.

Jason sank back in his aircraft seat shaking his head at Robbie's lack of confidence. 'But we'll be there to support him!' he said, looking at Mark with imploring eyes. 'Won't we?'

Mark nodded in agreement. 'Don't you think we've tried telling him that already? Well, Gaz managed to speak to him once and got as far as saying that and then Rob put the phone down, we haven't been able to speak to him since. Tina's been in contact with us and says she's tried but he doesn't want to listen to anyone.'

'I can see I have an upward battle on my hands haven't I?' Jason sighed wishing desperately he could just go back to be with Lexi and forget all about this problem with Robbie.


	28. Chapter 28

Josh pulled up outside the apartments mid afternoon and parked up. 'You don't have to stop.' Lexi said, getting out the car and slamming the door.

'Jason would never forgive me if I just drop you off and drive away.' Josh replied, getting out the car. 'Come on, let's get a quick drink at the bar and then I'll head back to the villa.'

They walked down the steps to the pool bar, Josh disappearing into the bar to fetch them both a coffee and a sandwich. He suddenly realised how hungry he was, as he hadn't eaten since breakfast and assumed Lexi would probably be hungry too.

Lexi's mum and dad were by the pool with James and Louise, who was hanging all over James like a limpet. Anna came over and put her arm around Lexi. 'Are you alright?' she asked, hugging Lexi to her. Lexi nodded and heaved a big sigh.

'Yes, he's gone. Mark came over on the plane, I assume to fill Jason in on what's happened. I feel happier knowing he's flying back with someone. Jason told me he doesn't like flying as it is.'

'So when will you see him again?'

'He says he's coming to see me next Saturday.' Lexi replied with a small smile. 'So that's good as I have the weekend off. So, nine days time until I see him next.'

At that moment Josh called her over to the bar where her coffee and a Tuna Baguette was waiting for her. She wandered over to the bar, not really feeling hungry, but thought she'd better make the effort as he'd bought her it.

'Lexi, I hope you don't mind but Jason gave me your mobile number before he left. I hope that was ok?' Lexi nodded that it was fine and that she didn't mind. 'We wondered if you felt up to it maybe we could all go out for dinner tomorrow night? I mean you, me and Ben? We wanted to make sure you are ok.'

Lexi nodded in agreement. 'That would be a lovely idea, Josh. It's really kind of you to offer.'

After they'd finished their lunch Josh went back to the villa and Lexi decided to go and get her bikini on, have a read of her book and listen to some music. She wandered up to the apartment opening the door to a scene of utter chaos. James had left underwear and clothes all over the floor, dirty plates and cups in the sink and there was what looked like the remains of a half eaten sandwich on a plate lying on the unmade bed. Lexi shook her head at the carnage and quickly tidied up so the place no longer looked like a bomb had hit it then changed into her bikini and collected up her book and her IPOD. She felt like she needed some time to herself so she went to sit on the balcony and listen to her music. Putting her earphones in, she switched it on and gave a smile when she heard the first track of her favourite Hurts album, Happiness. She sat listening away, thinking about Jason and the time they'd spent together tapping her fingers on the table to the music, her other elbow on the table and her chin resting in her hand. She hoped he was ok and that he'd be able to sort things out with Robbie and then thought back to their tender kiss at the airport fence, a wistful smile on her face. Track 4 finished and Track 5 started, her favourite one called Stay. The lead singer Theo's voice rang out loud and clear:

My whole life waiting for the right time

To tell you how I feel.

Know I try to tell you that I need you.

Here I am without you.

I feel so lost but what can I do?

'Cause I know this love seems real

But I don't know how to feel.

We say goodbye in the pouring rain

And I break down as you walk away.

Stay, stay.

'Cause all my life I felt this way

But I could never find the words to say

Stay, stay.

Alright, everything is alright

Since you came along

And before you

I had nowhere to run to

Nothing to hold on to

I came so close to giving it up.

And I wonder if you know

How it feels to let you go?

Lexi snapped the IPOD off. She couldn't listen to the rest it hurt too much and reminded her too much of Jason. She checked her watch and realised he'd probably landed at Manchester around now. She wondered what he would be doing tonight and felt an ache at the pit of her stomach.

There was a soft tap at the door. Lexi opened the door to see her mum there.

'I just came to check you're ok as you didn't come back down to the pool.'

'I decided to stay up here and listen to some music and sit on the balcony.' Lexi replied. 'Trouble is I couldn't even listen to my favourite album without it dredging up thoughts of Jason.'

'Well, it'll get easier when you're back home. At least you'll be in the same country.,' her mum replied, switching on the kettle to make them both a cup of coffee.

Lexi handed her the coffee jar and Anna spooned the granules into a cup. 'I know how I feel about Jason and I know he said how he feels about me. The only thing which keeps crossing my mind is that he might get back to England and once he gets back to normal he'll change his mind and think I was just a holiday fling.'

'I can't somehow see that happening.' Her mum replied, 'I saw the way he looks at you. The way he looked at you wasn't the way someone looks at a person they're just having a holiday fling with. I'm sure of it! I think he's fallen for you.' She poured the water into the cups and handed Lexi hers.

Lexi looked relieved. 'Well, that's what I was thinking and I was hoping that my instincts were right.' They went back out on the balcony and sipped their coffees. Lexi looked out over the pool area down below and could see James all over Louise like a rash and told her the story about Louise getting Jason and Howard muddled.

Anna laughed and shook her head, 'she's not exactly the sharpest tool in the box is she?'

Lexi looked at her mum and smiled, it seemed they both felt the same way about Louise by the looks of it. They spent the next hour chatting on the balcony and decided to go out for dinner that night, just the three of them as James was once again out with Louise.

'Right, I'd better go and make myself beautiful!' Anna said, leaning over to kiss Lexi. 'I'll see you in an hour, ok?' Lexi nodded in reply, took their coffee cups to the sink and headed off to the shower herself to get ready.

++++++++++

Meanwhile Jason's plane had touched down at Gatwick. Jason and Mark were bustled discreetly through security and within half an hour were out of the airport. Mark dropped Jason off at his house in Kensington and then carried on home. His wife Katrina had recently had a baby girl and he wanted to get back to see her and their daughter Lottie if she was still awake. They'd agreed that Mark would go with Jason the following morning to Robbie's house as back-up and they'd mount "a two-pronged attack" as Mark jokingly called it. By hook or by crook they were going to get Robbie to talk to them and they weren't leaving until he did.

Jason opened the door to his townhouse and pulled his suitcase in through the door. He unpacked quickly, checked his mail whilst sipping a cup of camomile tea and then went into the bathroom to have a quick shower. He sighed deeply as the hot water hammered over his tired and aching body. He found it hard to believe that only around 7 hours ago he'd been holding Lexi in his arms for the last time, kissing her and he hoped she was ok. He was already missing her and couldn't wait to see her again. He hoped she would want to see him when she came home and wouldn't have changed her mind about how she felt about him.

Once he'd had a shower he dialled her mobile, at the moment he didn't care a bit about Robbie and his demons - he'd deal with him tomorrow. The phone rang the other end and he heard Lexi answer the phone.

'Hello!'

'Hello gorgeous!' he said softly down the phone, smiling as he heard her voice.

'Hi Jay! How are you? Did you get back ok?'

'Yes,' he replied. 'I got back fine. and had a good chat with Mark. We have a plan of action and hopefully it'll work,' he said, trying to sound more optimistic than he felt. He knew Robbie could be stubborn as hell when it suited him.

'I'm sure you'll be fine, you're a VERY persuasive man when you put your mind to it.' Lexi said suggestively down the phone and he knew she wasn't referring to Robbie at that very moment.

'So, what did you do after I'd gone?' he asked her, trying desperately to change the subject as her tone was very sexy and his mind was starting to conjure up images from their earlier sex session in the shower.

Lexi told him about Josh taking her back to the apartment and looking after her by buying her lunch, Jason was glad to hear Josh had done as he'd promised and that she'd spent a quiet afternoon relaxing and chatting with her mum. They chatted for a few minutes longer, Lexi telling him she was going out for dinner that night with her mum and dad and Josh and Ben the following night. Jason was pleased to hear that Lexi had agreed to go out with Josh and Ben.

'Right, I'd better go Lexi. I can hardly keep awake, what with you keeping me up last night and then knackering me out again this morning. I'm an old man y'know,' he laughed dirtily down the phone. 'I'll ring you tomorrow ok? And don't forget, I'm counting down the days until I see you luv.'

'Good night old man.' she giggled down the phone. 'I love you Jase!'

'Good night Lex, and don't forget I love you more!'

She laughed. 'No! I love you more! Good luck tomorrow with Robbie.'

Jason hung up hoping that Lexi was right about him being fine the following day with Robbie. She was obviously more confident in his persuasive powers than he was. He clicked the light off and went to his bedroom, not really looking forward to the job in his hands the following day.


	29. Chapter 29

Jason slept fitfully that night. Despite the fact that he had decided to not think about what the following day would bring, his mind kept wandering back to Robbie. He was worried about Robbie's state of mind and what he was going to say. In the end he gave up at 5am and got up, made himself a cup of Mint Tea and switched his laptop on to upload his photos.

The laptop flickered into life and he set about uploading them while he sipped his tea, smiling as some shots of Lexi popped up on the screen. He particularly loved one he'd taken of her by the pool at the villa on their last night, her hair down around her shoulders and a dazzling smile on her face. Once the photos were uploaded he then picked up his mobile and uploaded the photo onto it to come up whenever he used his phone.

By the time he'd finished, had a shower and breakfast, Mark had arrived. He made him a quick coffee while he got his stuff together and loaded it into the boot. He smirked to see Mark had brought along all the papaphernalia for their "two-pronged attack", as he kept referring to it.

'Come on slow-coach!' Jason shouted into the kitchen as Mark slurped his coffee quickly and shoved the mug in the sink.

'Ok, OK! I'm coming!' he shouted back and got in to start the car. 'All set?' he asked Jason.

Jason nodded and said; 'come on, let's get this over and done with eh?'

By 10am they were on the road close to the village where Robbie lived. They stopped at the little village shop to get a snack to keep them going until lunch.

'You here to see Robbie?' The owner asked, recognising Mark and Jason from the newspapers. He was used to seeing Robbie pottering around the village. It was a small close-knit village where nobody really took a lot of notice of Robbie, which is why Robbie had chosen to live there.

Mark nodded pleasantly, paid the man and they wandered back out to the car. They drove slowly down the little country lane Robbie's sprawzling house and gardens was down and within a few minutes drew up outside the gates. Jason got out, rung the buzzer outside and a couple of minutes later it was answered by one of his members of staff. Jason said who he was and he was here to speak to Robbie and the person disappeared for a minute. He came back a few minutes later saying that Robbie didn't want to speak to him.

'Well I want to speak to him!' Jason said loudly down the speaker. 'Tell him I've come a bloody long way to speak to him and I'm not going until he speaks to me!'

There was silence again for a few minutes and this time Tina, Robbie's wife came on the speaker. 'Hi Jason, he's saying he doesn't want to speak to you.'

'Tell him Mark's here too and we're not going until he comes to speak to us! You can also tell him it's the least he can do considering I've disturbed my holiday to come and speak to him!' Tina disappeared again and a few minutes later came back saying that Robbie still wouldn't speak to them. 'That's fine, but we aren't going anywhere until he does, so best he lets us in as it's drizzling out here and if I get wet I'll be even more pissed off than I am now!' Tina said she would see what she could do and she'd work on him and she was gone.

'Right Mark! Next plan of action!' said Jason, turning away from the gate and looking over at Mark still sitting in the car. He'd decided he wasn't getting wet unless he had to. Mark huffed loudly, got out the car and opened the boot and started to haul all the stuff out. First came the golfing umbrella, camping chairs, a tent and various camping paraphernalia. They set it all up right in front of the gate where they knew Robbie would be able to see them sitting in their seats if he looked outside. Mark put the umbrella up and lit the camping stove to heat some soup for their lunch.

From inside, Robbie looked out at Mark and Jason sat in their seats facing the house. Mark raised his cup of soup in cheers and mouthed 'want some?' He shook his head at how comical they looked, sitting next to their tent which they'd put up. He knew they probably had no intention of staying in the tent that night, but he got what they had meant about not going anywhere and smiled to himself. He was actually touched that they cared enough to do this.

Jason finished his soup and looked at Mark, 'do you reckon he's going to crack and let us in? I don't know how long I can sit in this drizzling rain. Even my pants are wet because that umbrella doesn't cover both of us!' Mark had set it up to make sure he didn't get wet, but that meant Jason was still getting wet.

Mark shrugged in answer and finished off his soup. He was hoping it wouldn't be too long either as he didn't fancy cooking dinner over the stove that evening.

They sat there until mid-afternoon and Robbie accepted that if he didn't let them in they weren't going anywhere. They were blocking the gate so the Waitrose man hadn't been able to deliver his groceries, the pool cleaner hadn't been able to get in either in his van. The speaker crackled into life and Robbie's voice came on:

'You silly sods had better come in I suppose!'

Mark let out a whoop and they hurriedly packed up their stuff into the car. Robbie came out of the house to meet their car with a sheepish look on his face. He clapped Jason on the shoulder as he got out the car. 'I'm sorry mate, that they dragged you back from your holiday to sort me out!'

'You should be!' Jason shot back at him with a mock angry look at him. Now he'd seen Robbie in the flesh he couldn't stay angry at him for very long.

They followed him into the house where Tina was busying herself in the kitchen making them drinks to warm them up.

'Rob, you'd better take Jason to the bedroom and find him some dry pants and jeans. Look at the state of him, he's wet through!'

Robbie looked him up and down and saw what she meant. 'No problem, come on. Though, you'll need a pair of braces like a kid to hold them up on you, you're so skinny compared to me!' Jason laughed and followed him into the bedroom, where Robbie hurriedly found his some spare pants and his slimmest pair of jeans which still swamped Jason's slim frame.

They all sat down in the lounge, Tina bringing them in their coffees and then she disappeared off to make herself scarce.

'So Robbie, what's all this about then?' Jason asked, looking straight at him so that Robbie couldn't look away or lie to him.

'I dunno, I'd spent the day at the studio with the lads and it hadn't gone as well as other days. We had a few words - nothing major really but I was feeling down. I came home and went on my pc and was just reading some threads on the Take That.com forum and there was a thread on there about whether fans thought it would be good or bad if I came back. There were some awful comments such as that I would be hanging onto you lots' coat tails because my career's in free-fall if I come back, that I would let you down half-way through if we ended up touring, that if we tour they're all going to boo me. It was just one nasty comment after another and I just thought to myself that I'd make it easier for everyone all around and just piss off now.'

'But that's not the majority Robbie! You knew that a lot wouldn't be happy didn't you? You're not stupid. I guarantee you once they hear the album and then come to the concerts they'll be blown away. Of course a lot still won't want you there, but they'll have accepted it more.'

Robbie nodded 'I know Jay! It was awful just sitting there reading it all in black and white and I just panicked. I got to thinking would it be so bad that they'd boo even if we go on tv and I couldn't face the embarassment.'

'Rob, we're here for you! We'll deal with it as a TEAM if, and I mean if it happens. I don't think they will boo you.'

Robbie nodded and Jason could see he was wavering and he understood what he was saying, so he carried on. 'Robbie, your voice is stamped all over that album. How the hell would we perform it without you?'

Robbie could see Jason had a point in what he was saying and felt a bit stupid for not just speaking to the lads about how he was feeling, rather than just closeting himself away and stewing about it.

Mark came over to Rob and sat on the arm of the sofa next to him. 'Does that mean you'll change your mind?' he asked with hope in his voice.

Robbie sighed, 'yes! I'll give it another go....'

Jason heaved a deep sigh of relief. 'Thank fuck for that! Now, can I go and ring Mervyn now and say it's all back on then?' he asked referring to their manager who was back in London waiting to hear.

Robbie nodded, 'yeah, looks like you're all stuck with me then!'

Jason grabbed Robbie and threw his arms around him in a bear hug. 'You're a silly sod mate, but you know we all love you and we're here to look after each other ok?'

Jason nipped off to phone Mervyn who was really pleased to hear he'd talked Robbie around. He asked if Jason had had a good holiday and thanked him for coming back. Jason replied that he had had a good holiday, not wanting to mention Lexi yet as their relationship was still at an early stage and he only wanted the lads to know about it for the moment.

When he came back Robbie and Mark looked much more relaxed and Tina had emerged from the kitchen to check on progress. She was immensely relieved to see they'd sorted out the problem. She invited Jason and Mark to stay for dinner to which they agreed readily as Tina was a brilliant cook and they always loved having dinner there.

'So come on Jay, spill the beans! Mark was telling me you met a woman on holiday and you're all loved up. Is that right?' Robbie asked Jason.

Jason blushed pink and nodded and proceeded to tell Robbie all about Lexi, showing him the photos from his phone and her photo which now was pride of place when he turned on the phone. 'She's lovely Jay.' Robbie commented, he was really pleased to see Jason looking so happy. He thought it was about time Jason found a nice girl to settle down with.

They spent the next half an hour chatting while Tina cooked a roast dinner for them all. Jason disappeared out to the garden again to give Lexi a quick ring and let her know how his meeting with Robbie had gone. She was really pleased to hear from him and was glad to hear he'd talked Robbie around. She excitedly told him what she'd been doing all day and that Josh had rung her to say that he and Ben would pick her up at 8 that evening for dinner. Jason was pleased to hear she sounded more positive and that she was still going out that night with Josh and Ben.

After telling Lexi he loved her, he rang off and then phoned Josh. He answered quickly and was pleased to hear how the meeting had gone. 'Have you got the package to take to Lexi tonight?'

'Yes.' Josh answered. 'I picked it up from the jewellers this afternoon.'

Jason smiled and thanked Josh. 'Josh, ring me and let me know if she likes it and what she said, won't you?'

'No problem Jason, you'll be the first to know!' Josh replied, laughing softly down the phone before hanging up.


	30. Chapter 30

Lexi was ready for 8pm and waiting in the usual place where she had always waited for Jason, when Josh and Ben drew up in the car. Despite the fact she was missing Jason badly, she'd been looking forward to their night out. She liked both of them a lot - Josh was like a younger, more carefree version of Jason. He had the same dark hair and deep blue eyes, but he was about 4 inches shorter, a little stockier and his features were slightly softer than Jason's. He was also less inclined to think things through deeply, unlike Jason. Ben was similar in nature to Josh, but he was the polar opposite looks-wise. He was blond with hazel eyes and was tall and slim. Neither had really had any long-term relationships as they were happy going out on a Saturday night together, flirting and having the odd short-term relationships here and there.

Lexi ran over to the car, calling out a greeting to the two lads who both jumped out of the car, slamming the doors shut. Josh came towards her and planted a friendly kiss on her cheek and put his arm around her shoulders. 'Ready to go?'

She nodded in agreement and they set off down the narrow road, and down towards the harbour. They walked to the very end of the harbour and settled on a table overlooking the harbour itself, at a taverna called Dionysos. The waiter hurried over with a menu each and reeled off the specials of the day, taking time to explain what they all were as they didn't recognise the Greek names for the dishes. They opted to share starters and ordered a different special each. The waiter brought them over a large carafe of white wine and Ben poured them each a glass. They clinked glasses and said cheers to each other. Lexi breathed a deep sigh of contentment and looked at Josh;

So, tell me about you and Jason as kids then Josh?' Lexi asked, wanting to know all about his childhood memories. She wanted to get to know the Jason that the public didn't see, what made him tick and to find out about the Jason she'd grown to love.

'Well, he's quite a bit older, as you know. I don't remember much from the first time around really. I can remember lots of girls hanging around outside our house calling his name, that's about it. I remember thinking my brother had lots of friends as there were always people hanging around. I didn't realise they weren't his friends they were fans!' Josh chuckled at the memory and how confused he'd felt about seeing girls outside their house. 'The other thing I do remember is fans throwing stones at my window in case it was Jason's bedroom and them being disappointed when I opened the curtains - a skinny 7 year old boy! You should've seen their faces!'

Lexi laughed at the thought of the disappointment on the fans faces as Josh opened the curtains and looked out in his pyjamas.

Josh continued with his memories from their childhood. 'Eventually Jason moved out and I was relieved, as it meant I'd get a decent night's sleep. I did miss him as he was a good laugh to have around, but being quite a bit older than me we didn't have much in common. I used to spend the odd night at his flat in Manchester and when the band split up we got closer as he had more spare time for me.'

'It must have been odd for him when they split up, going from a face millions of people recognised to a nobody?' Lexi asked. She was finding Josh's stories of Jason fascinating.

'At first he seemed like he didn't have a purpose, but you know he's got a sensible head on his shoulders. He did a bit of travelling, then enrolled in college and eventually took up acting. The problem with the acting work was that he'd always find someone would recognise him as Jason Orange ex Take-That member and he wouldn't get the job as they couldn't see past that. It drove him mad!'

Lexi nodded and felt protective towards Jason wanting to put her arms around him for all the rejections he must have gone through when he'd taken up acting.

'When they decided to re-form at first Jason didn't know if he wanted to go through all that adulation again. So, they all sat down and decided it would be on "their terms". They haven't looked back since. They only accept engagements they want to do and they discuss things more in-depth than they ever did before. Jason seems a lot happier and as I've got older we've got closer and closer. I couldn't ask for a better brother really.' Josh smiled with affection as he thought about his big brother back home in London.

'And he's happy about working with Robbie again?' Lexi asked with interest.

'Yes, he seems happy enough. You know Jason, if he's not happy he'll soon tell the lads and they'd discuss it.' Josh replied.

Their starters came and they put them in the middle of the table to share. There was silence for a few minutes while they ate, looking out to sea as a small yacht sailed past and headed out towards Methoni. It brought back memories to Lexi of her and Jason's night out on the boat the previous week and she smiled to herself at the memory.

The waiter came and took away the plates and Josh started fiddling about in the pocket of his jeans.

'Have you got a problem down there?' Lexi asked him smirking.

He shook his head and raised an eyebrow at her with a dirty expression on his face. 'Aha!' he said evenutally, finding the box languishing at the bottom of his jeans pocket. He pulled the small box from the depth of his jeans and placed it on the table in front of him.

'What's that?' Lexi asked, looking at the small jewellery box and wondering what it contained.

'Ermm... I've been busy since Jason left.' Josh replied, looking a little sheepish.

'Doing what?' Lexi asked feeling confused and a little disconcerted.

Josh and Ben exchanged amused glances over her head and Ben nodded at Josh, 'well go on then mate, give her the box!'

Josh looked at Lexi. 'Jason got this for you. He bought it from the jewellers before he left but they couldn't get it engraved in time, so I said I'd go and collect it and give it to you on his behalf when it was ready. He said he knows he already bought you a necklace, but he saw this and said it was beautiful and knew you'd love it.'

A look of surprise crossed Lexi's face. Josh leant across and placed the box in front of Lexi. 'Go on, open it then.'

She picked it up and slowly opened the box. Nestling inside the box was the most breathtaking white gold bracelet. It was what the locals called a Greek Key meander bracelet and set between each key link was a small blue lapis stone. Lexi gave a sharp intake of breath, her mouth opening at the beauty of it, it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. The blue stone was almost the exact colour of Jason's eyes, she noticed.

Josh and Ben sat back on their chairs laughing at the look on her face. It was obvious she loved it and Josh was pleased that Jason had chosen well. 'If you take it out of the box you can see the engraving on it.' Josh said, nodding towards the box.

Lexi took it out of the box, her mouth open in wonderment as the restaurant lights sparkled on the bracelet. Turning it over, she saw that the jeweller had engraved their two letters J & A (the A being for her full name, Alexia), twisted together on the clasp. 'Look on the inside.' Josh said, smiling at Lexi. She turned it over and on the inside of the bracelet he'd had both their names engraved with the letters twisted together and the date and year of the night they'd first met.

Lexi looked up from the bracelet with tears in her eyes at Jason's thoughtfulness.'Thank you so much for collecting this for me,' she whispered, not trusting herself to say anymore.

Josh then drew an envelope out of his pocket and gave it to Lexi, it read:

My Dearest Lexi,

I hope you like your present. I saw it and thought of you and how beautiful it would look on you.

I wish with all my heart I could have stayed with you and want you to know you'll be in my thoughts

even though I can't be there with you.

Can't wait until we meet again and I can hold you in my arms.

Never forget, you rule my world.

I love you, Jason xx

After she'd finished reading his letter, tears rolled unchecked down her face. Josh got up and came around to her chair, putting his arm around her and handed her a tissue to wipe her eyes. 'Do you want to speak to him?' he asked her softly. She nodded and he dialled Jason's mobile. Jason answered within a couple of rings, assuming it would either be Josh or Lexi as he guessed they'd be out for dinner at about that time.

'Thank you so much Jason! It's beautiful! I love you.' Lexi said down the phone still sniffing a little.

At home sitting in his kitchen with a cup of coffee, Jason smiled down the phone at her obvious pleasure in receiving his gift. He'd been disappointed that he couldn't give it to her himself and to have seen her face, but he was pleased Josh had agreed to do it on his behalf.

They spoke for a few minutes more, Jason telling Lexi about the band's plans for the following week when they were due to be having a meeting with cameras present to announce they had recorded an album together. Jason said he'd come down on the Friday afternoon after their announcement and he said he'd come to where she worked after they'd shut. He said he'd meet her there at around 7pm when she'd finished pricing the sale stuff up. That way, they could maybe go out for dinner in Cambridge he suggested.

Lexi rang off with a big smile on her face and immediately put the bracelet on. She turned it over and over on her wrist marvelling at how pretty it was and how the light sparkled off it. She was really touched that he'd gone to the trouble to have something engraved on it to remember their holiday by.

The waiter brought their dinner over and they ate it, talking ten to the dozen the whole time. They walked her back up the hill at the end of the night and Lexi thanked them both for a lovely night.

'Have a lovely last day.' Josh said leaning towards Lexi, kissing her cheek and squeezing her hand. Lexi squeezed it back and thanked him and then leant over to kiss Ben goodbye too.

'You too! No doubt I'll see you at the airport. Our flights are only twenty minutes apart.'

She turned away from them both, blowing them a kiss and disappeared up to her apartment to go to bed, knowing that tomorrow would bring her one day closer to seeing Jason again.

When she got up to the apartment, the door was unlocked and so she went inside. It wasn't until she got inside she realised that James quite obviously wasn't alone, judging by the noises going on in the bedroom he was making good use of his precious condoms. Lexi sighed and quietly closed the door wondering where to go. There was no way she wanted to sit in the lounge area of the apartment waiting for James and whoever he had in there to either run out of condoms or get tired and fall asleep. The last thing she wanted was to listen to him shagging Louise.

She nipped next door to her parents apartment and knocked on their door. To her relief they were in and sitting on the balcony, drinking a bottle of wine. At least if James was at it all night they had a spare bed in the lounge area she could bunk down in she thought to herself.

'Good night?' Joe asked Lexi, kissing the top of her head.

Lexi nodded and Joe disappeared into the kitchen to get another glass so she could share the bottle. Lexi showed them the bracelet which Jason had bought her. Anna exclaimed at how pretty it was and that Jason had very good taste, thinking how lovely that Jason was so obviously keen on her. They chatted for another hour and as James was still otherwise engaged next door Lexi ended up getting into bed in the lounge area, leaving Anna and Joe on the balcony to finish off the wine. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep she was so tired.

As Lexi fell asleep Anna's phone bleeped on the balcony with a question from Jason.....


	31. Chapter 31

Lexi woke up to the cockerel crowing next door. 'I'm going to shoot that bloody cockerel!' she groaned loudly, flinging the sheets off and padding across the tiled floor. She flicked the kettle on and spooned coffee granules into a mug, checking the time on her watch. She wondered if Jason was up yet and smiled to herself about the bracelet and note she'd received the previous night from Jason.

Meanwhile, in London Jason was just waking up too. He had a busy day and wanted to get organised. Mark had invited him over for a lazy Saturday lunch with Katrina and little Lottie. But firstly he had to do a bit of shopping and get some flowers for Katrina and a little something for Lottie.

He quickly ate a bowl of muesli and had a cup of tea, made a couple of quick phone calls which needed doing and then headed off down the road to his local supermarket. It didn't take him long to pick up some pink roses for Katrina and an adorable little shorts and t-shirt suit for Lottie to wear and a few bits and pieces for meals during the week, he always made a list and stuck to it.

Once he was back home he stuck the flowers in water to keep them fresh and poured himself a glass of orange juice, before picking up the phone to ring Lexi.

'Morning gorgeous!' he grinned as he heard her pick up the phone. He could hear shrieks and splashes in the background and assumed she was by the pool. 'How's it going?'

'Great!' she replied, her heart jumping around in her chest at the sound of his voice. 'Mind you, I didn't get much sleep last night.'

'Oh? Who kept you up?' he laughed cheekily down the phone.

'Well, James did,' she replied laughing. She filled him in on what he was up to when she got home the previous night and that she'd had to borrow the bed in her parents lounge. 'But that's not the worst of it, Jay. When he eventually surfaced this morning it wasn't Louise who emerged with him. It was her best friend Tiffany! He's such a slut! I'm assuming he got bored of Louise and then settled for the next available girl he could see. There's not exactly many spare girls who speak English around here, and lets face it if you were a Greek parent would you let your daughter anywhere near him?' Lexi chuckled down the phone.

'So are Tiffany and Louise both around the pool today then?' Jason asked, imagining the evil looks the two girls must be giving each other.

'Oh yes! And the atmosphere around here is positively toxic. It's so funny. You'd think he's Casanova the way they're acting! 'So, what are you up to today?' she asked him, changing the subject whilst spreading suntan lotion on her legs in deep, even strokes.

Jason told her about his lunch invite to Mark's house and that he was leaving in a little while. Lexi continued applying her lotion, moving onto her stomach. 'Lex, what are you doing?' Jason asked her as he heard a strange squeaking noise.

'Squeezing lotion out of the bottle, but it's nearly empty, that's the noise you can hear,' she replied, with a wicked grin on her face. 'Now I'm spreading it on my stomach,' she said teasingly.

She heard him suck in a deep mouthful of air. 'What I wouldn't give to be the one doing that for you....' he mumbled down the phone, feeling a stirring in his trousers.

'Well, close your eyes and imagine that you are...,' she murmered seductively down the phone, knowing just what effect she was having on him. She carried on, describing how she was massaging it into her chest, followed by her arms.

'Bloody hell Lexi, stop it!' Jason groaned. 'I'll be in no fit state to go to Mark's for lunch.'

Lexi laughed quietly down the phone. 'I'll think of you then, while I apply the rest of it shall I? Have a lovely time at Mark's and I'll speak to you soon. Love you Jason.'

He rang off and quickly got changed into something smarter, shaking his head ruefully at the effect Lexi had on him. Then, snatching up the flowers he ran out the door to drive to Marks house.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++

Lexi spent the day relaxing by the pool and reading her book. Louise and Tiffany spent the day both making eyes at James which Lexi found amusing, as he was hardly a catch in her opinion.

By late afternoon she'd had enough of the sun and went upstairs to get packed ready for her flight home. James looked like he hadn't made a start on his packing and she wasn't about to do it for him - he was a big boy and was capable of chucking his own stuff in a suitcase.

An hour later she was all packed. The bracelet Jason had bought her would go in the hand luggage she decided, there was no way she was packing that in her suitcase in case it got stolen.

Lexi and her parents went out for a meal on their last night together. James came with them with Tiffany in tow this time, who was just as star-struck as Louise that Lexi had met Jason. Louise had already told her that she'd met a famous pop-star the night she'd found Jason in bed with Lexi. Even though Louise had told her at first that it was Howard not Jason that she'd met. She quizzed Lexi about what he was like and Lexi made sure she gave away very little information. There was no way she was going to gossip about him to someone she'd only just met.

They had an enjoyable meal and decided to head up the hill for an early night as they were being picked up early the next day. Thankfully James said goodbye to Tiffany - there was no way Lexi wanted to sleep in her parents room again and she made it obvious to him that there was no way Tiffany was coming back to their apartment that night.

The taxi was there on time the following morning to take them to the airport. Lexi felt sad to leave such a beautiful place, but couldn't wait to see Jason. She knew it wouldn't be for another 5 days, but she thought it would seem easier if they were at least in the same country.

They arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and checked in quickly. The tiny building was rapidly filling up as there were the two flights going at a similar time. Lexi's to Gatwick and Josh and Ben's to Manchester. Lexi spotted Josh and Ben amongst the throng and went over for a quick chat and to wish them a pleasant flight. They all hugged each other and Lexi said she'd hopefully see them soon, to which Josh replied she certainly would see them again soon. He really liked Lexi and thought she was just right for Jason.

As Lexi's plane taxied out to the runway, she thought she could see Josh and Ben walking out to their plane. She really did hope she'd see them both again as she'd enjoyed going out with them the night Josh gave her Jason's bracelet.

The flight was uneventful and they landed at Gatwick on time. They collected their suitcases and made their way out to towards the exit, passing the usual throng of people waiting for loved ones and taxi drivers holding placards with people's names. Lexi wasn't taking a lot of notice, she just wanted to get home. She didn't notice the tall, slim man standing towards the end of the crowds, his hat pulled down to obscure some of his face from the other people waiting, in case they recognised him. Lexi walked straight past him and only slowed when she felt Anna tug her arm and indicate towards the man. It was then that she noticed he was standing there holding a large bunch of flowers and he looked just like Jason.

'Oh my God!' Lexi shrieked at the top of her voice. Dropping her suitcase and throwing her arms around him. 'Jason, what are you doing here?'

'I had to see you,' he replied. 'Even if it's just for a few minutes. I wanted to see you and give you these.' He handed the flowers to her and she noticed that they were her favourite roses. The flowers consisted of Ocean song Roses which were a delicate lilac colour, cream roses and cream lilies.

'How did you know Ocean Song are my favourites?' she asked, intrigued.

He winked towards Anna. 'I asked your mum by text and she told me.'

Lexi leant towards Jason and put her arms around him, her mouth finding his for a deep kiss. 'Thank you....' she whispered.

'I love you Lexi.' he said, hugging her tight. 'And I know that you thought that I'd forget you the minute I returned home - this is my way of showing you that I haven't,' he whispered hoarsely, tipping her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

'Thank you so much. And I love you too, Jay,' she replied, smiling a huge smile up at him.


	32. Chapter 32

They pulled apart as they both heard Joe clearing his throat, trying to get their attention. Lexi looked over towards her dad to see what the problem was.

'Lexi, we'll go grab a cup of coffee and we'll meet you down where the coaches pick up in 45 minutes. Ok?' she nodded and watched as Joe, Anna and James disappeared through the crowd towards Costa Coffee.

'Jason took the handle of her suitcase, grabbing her hand with his other hand and they headed in the other direction to Caffe Nero. They sat down and both ordered a drink, Jason took hold of Lexi's hand and kissed her fingertips. 'I've missed you so much Lexi.'

'Me too Jason. Plus, I wondered if you'd just forget me when you got back home,' she replied with a small smile, looking into his dark blue eyes.

'No chance!' Jason replied. 'You've got under my skin and there's no way I was going to forget about you,' leaning forward, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.

They talked and held hands for the next 30 minutes and then with a deep sigh, Lexi looked at Jason with regret. 'I have to be making tracks. I have work tomorrow,' leaning across the table, she took his face in her hand and kissed him gently on the lips.

He nodded and they walked down to meet her parents who were already waiting. Jason put his arms around her and kissed her,' 'I'll see you Friday evening. Ok?' she kissed him back and watched as he disappeared with his familiar walk, back to his car in the short-stay car park. She would have loved him to stay with her, but she knew they both had a busy week and it just wasn't possible.

++++++++++

The following morning, Lexi was up bright and early ready for work. She was in work at 8 o'clock going over the previous two week's sales, checking the new lines which had arrived and catching up on e-mails. It felt almost like she'd never been away once she'd been there an hour and the staff had all arrived.

Her telephone bleeped and she saw that Jason had sent her a text:

Enjoy your first day back at work, hope it goes ok. Love J XX

She had a brief team meeting before they opened and was happy to hear that they'd been busy whilst she'd been away and that their sales were up on the previous year. They were due to open at 9.30, and they had a spare 15 minutes left, so Maria the trainee made them all coffees and everyone but her Assistant Manager Freya, wandered off to tidy up the stock and do their various jobs.

'So, how was the holiday?' Freya asked her. She'd straight away noticed that Lexi seemed more relaxed and had lost the slight air of sadness which had followed her around since Michael and her had finished. She'd also noticed that when Lexi had received a text, she'd snatched her phone up to read the message and she'd smiled a beaming smile when she read it, hugging the phone to her chest afterwards. Then she'd swiftly sent a reply back to whoever had sent the text, a secretive little smile lighting up her face as she did so.

'It was brilliant!' Lexi replied enthusiastically, a smile playing on her lips as she thought about Jason. 'The weather was great, the food was great and I got a good rest too.'

Freya looked her straight in the eye and was amused to see that Lexi couldn't quite meet her eyes. She knew there was something else going on, but she couldn't put her finger on it. They'd worked together for a long time, both working their way up from trainees who met on the same training course and when they'd opened the store, Lexi had been appointed as Branch Manager and she'd straight away asked for Freya as her Assistant Manager. So Freya had got to know her very well indeed.

'Lex, did you meet some Greek god? You're all glowing and smiley.'

'Ermmm no..' Lexi replied, She really didn't feel that she could lie to her. 'Well, not a Greek God exactly Freya, but I did meet someone.'

'Oooh!' Freya squealed in surprise. 'Come on, spill the beans then!'

Lexi hesitated for a few moments, trying to decide whether to tell Freya the truth or not. In the end she decided to just show Freya her photos and see if she recognised Jason. If she didn't, she would just keep quiet and see how it went with Jason this weekend before saying anything.

'Hang on a mo....' she said, logging onto google and taking a sip of her coffee. She accessed her Flickr Account and her photos came up, which she'd uploaded the previous night. She'd made sure they were private, so only she could access them. The first ones were just general holiday snaps. 'There's a few of him in a bit.' she explained, starting to scroll through the snaps whilst sipping at her coffee.

Freya pulled a chair up alongside Lexi and rested her chin on her hand in concentration. 'Beautiful place isn't it?' she had never been to Greece so was curious to see what it looked like.

Lexi nodded, thinking to herself not half as beautiful as Jason's smile. They scrolled through the photos until Lexi came to the one of Jason by the castle at Voidokilia lake. 'That's him. His name is Jason.'

She clicked the mouse to go onto the next one and Freya grabbed her arm. 'No stop!' Lexi hesitated and looked at Freya. 'Hang on. Let me look at that photo....' Freya murmered, frowning in concentration.

'This one?' Lexi asked innocently, scrolling backwards to Jason's photo. Freya nodded, when the photo came up again she stared at it intently, her mouth opening and closing in surprise. The face staring out at the photo was one which she thought she recognised.

'Is that who I think it is?'

'Who do you think it is?' Lexi asked, acting dumb.

'Ermmm.... let me think, he looks familiar.' Freya sucked in her bottom lip, chewing on it for a minute. 'I know, or at least I think I do. Impossible as this may seem, is it that Jason one from Take That or someone who looks very like him?' She looked at Lexi with curiosity, waiting for an answer.

'Yes, you're right Freya. It's the man himself, Jason.' Lexi replied blushing.

'You lucky, lucky cow. He is a seriously sexy looking man! How the hell did you manage to meet him in Greece of all places?' Freya asked, slurping her coffee before it got cold.

'Well he was staying at a villa nearby with his brother Josh and a couple of friends, they just happened to come for a meal where we were staying. We just hit it off and I liked him straight away.' Lexi explained, blushing slightly. 'I didn't even know who he was when we first met, I just thought he was a good-looking, nice guy. I must admit I did freak out a bit when I found out who he was, but I'm ok with it now.'

Freya was still looking incredulous at what Lexi had told her. It wasn't every day your boss came back off holiday and said she'd had a holiday romance with a pop star. She looked over at Lexi, who was still smiling away, looking all lovestruck at Jason's photo.

'So are you seeing him again?'

Lexi nodded. 'Yes, he's coming to Cambridge for the weekend. The plan is I'm going to get the shop ready for the sale on Friday evening, he'll come by here at around 7pm to pick me up after he's finished with the lads in London and we'll go for dinner maybe.' She was hoping that by the time he arrived they would have finished pricing the clothes up and the girls would have left. She didn't want him meeting them all and them acting all star-struck and embarassing him.

'You're in love aren't you?' Freya asked her. She'd never seen Lexi this happy, even at the beginning of her relationship with Michael and it was heartening to see. She'd been a shoulder to cry on many a time before the holiday, so she was pleased to see Lexi so happy.

Lexi nodded. 'Yes, I am. I'm crazy about him. I feel loved and complete when I'm with him, if that makes sense? I feel like I've lost my right arm since he came back here last week without me.'

Freya stood up and collected their coffee cups together to wash up. She hesitated and put an arm around Lexi's shoulder, giving her a quick hug. 'I'm really pleased for you. You deserve to be happy hun. I assume you want me to keep schtum about this romance?'

Lexi nodded in agreement. 'Yes please. I'll tell the girls when I'm ready. If things work out ok.'

'No problem.' Freya replied and hurried out the room to the kitchen to wash and tidy up.

Lexi switched off her pc, pushed the chair under the desk and wandered out onto the shop floor to start her first day back hoping the day would be busy to take her mind off Jason for a while.


	33. Chapter 33

The week went by fairly quickly for Lexi, even though she was missing Jason desperately and couldn't wait to see him again on the Friday evening.

Jason and her had kept in touch all week by phone and text and she'd e-mailed him the address of the shop and whereabouts it was in town. She said he shouldn't have a problem finding it as it was on the main shopping street in Cambridge. He had also texted her with the time their announcement on National TV and online would be, to announce Robbie re-joining the band and all about the album they'd recorded together.

On the Thursday she had a Manager's Meeting in Norwich at the Holiday Inn. They were there to discuss the sale lines and the projected figures the company was expecting their sale to bring in. She arrived on time and just had time to have a quick chat with her Area Manager Debbie, before they started. Debbie asked her how her holiday was, and Lexi told her she'd had a good time. Debbie didn't know her well enough to spot that Lexi was blushing slightly as she recounted a few anecdotes, deliberately leaving out about having met Jason.

Just before they broke for lunch Debbie said she had an award to make and called Lexi up to stand beside her. 'This is a very special award for a popular lady!' she said, looking at Lexi who was standing next to her, trying not to look embarassed. 'You may all remember me sending you an e-mail last month as it was the end of our financial year, asking all Managers to vote for the one that they thought had achieved the most in the last year. I guess we'd call it the "Managers Manager. Well, Lexi was voted for almost unanimously by you all here and the reasons given were an almost doubling in shop profits and how impressed they've been on the training courses attended at Lexi's shop, with her team and their attitude.'

Lexi welled up and a lump came to her throat at the thought that the other Managers thought highly enough of her to vote. Debbie hugged her and handed her an envelope which contained a voucher for £200 to put towards some of their clothes and a small plaque to put on the wall, along with an extra weekend off. She thanked everyone and sat down, feeling embarassed at being centre of attention.

When the meeting eventually finished, Lexi got into the car and drove home. The minute she got home she quickly rang Jason, as she knew Anna had nearly finished getting their dinner and she wanted to have a bath first before dinner.

'Hi Jason. How are you?'

'Oh, hi gorgeous!' he replied into the phone, grinning like a Cheshire cat at the sound of her voice. He knew she'd been at a meeting all day and had been thinking about her on and off all day. 'I'm fine Lexi, feeling a bit nervous about everyone's reaction to Robbie re-joining when they see our interview.'

'It'll be fine Jase. Don't worry!' she knew that Jason worried far more than the other four about what people thought or said. 'Some people might not be thrilled straight away, but they'll get used to it.' She reassured him.

'I suppose you're right.' he agreed. He couldn't imagine people would stop liking their music just because Robbie was re-joining. In fact, they were hoping it would bring them more fans, not less.

They spoke for a few minutes longer, her telling him about winning the award and about her day and double checking where she'd be able to see their interview online. He confirmed he was still meeting her, that he'd received her e-mail with directions and what time he would turn up at the shop. She also told him to knock once and then twice on the door as a code, so she'd know it was him when he arrived.

'Jason, I'm going to disappear now and have a bath.'

Jason groaned down the phone. 'What I wouldn't give to be in your bath with you Lexi. Just the thought of you lying in the bath is getting me all steamed up here.'

Lexi giggled at the vision of him at the other end of the phone all worked up. 'Save it for the weekend Jason, if you can manage to wait that long!' She put the phone down and headed upstairs for a bath laughing softly to herself.

Jason didn't sleep much that night, his mind buzzing with thoughts which wouldn't go away about the reaction to the interview with them all and Robbie. He knew some of their fans wouldn't be thrilled about it, but it was what the five of them all wanted. He got up eventually at 6am and made himself a cup of tea, went out and sat on his terrace in his tracksuit bottoms and hoodie and tried to read a novel.

Lexi got into work at her usual time of 8am. She'd made a bit more effort today to dress nicely, as she knew Jason would be meeting her at the shop after work. She was wearing a white blouse which was slightly sheer and had small ruffles down the front, a purple tulip style wrap around skirt which ended just at the knee and high, black almond-toe heels. She checked in the work mirror that she looked ok and was happy with how she looked, just touching up her lip gloss, she decided she was ready to face the world. She'd bought a change of clothes with her too to change into before they went out for dinner if she had time. If not, the outfit she had on was smart enough to go out in, she decided.

She busied herself getting the sale stock together with the help of Maria, the trainee. She was astonished at the sheer amount of clothing they had to price up during the day and knew they were going to be up against it if they wanted to get it all done by 7pm.

'We'll do it in my office Maria, away from the shop floor, ok?' she looked over at Maria as she staggered in with a cage full of clothing, putting it next to the cage Lexi had already brought in the office. Lexi located the rolls of yellow stickers and black marker pens and laid them on her desk. They then emptied out the first cage onto her desk and made a start on writing prices on the stickers and then sticking them onto the white cardboard clothing tags. It was a laborious job and by just before 11am Lexi's neck was aching, as was her back with bending over the desk for so long. She glanced at the clock, realising that it was nearly 11am and that Jason and the lads would be announcing Robbie re-joining any minute now.

'Right, Maria do you want to go for your break?' she smiled winningly at Maria, looking for an excuse to get her out of the office. She wanted to watch the clip on her own and certainly didn't want Maria gossiping to the others that she was watching something about Take That on her laptop.

Maria looked at her quizzically, 'isn't it a bit early Lex?' she knew she would be starving later on if they were working late and she had such an early break.

'You can have a break later on in the day.' Lexi replied, shooing her towards the door quickly. 'Oh, and while you're at it could you take this pile out to Freya and ask her if one of you can take them and continue pricing up in the staff room, or on the shop counter if it's quiet?' she shoved a huge pile of unmarked clothes towards Maria and ushered her out the door, closing the door in her face and leaving Maria staring at the door in confusion. 'What the fuck?' Maria muttered to herself and turned on her heel to give the pile to Freya to distribute.

She dumped them on the cash desk with a loud huff. 'I don't know what the hell's got into her today.' she said to Freya, who was surprised to see the pile dumped on the desk.' She's chucked me out of her office with the excuse that I've got to go for lunch. At this time!' Freya raised her eyebrows, as Maria flounced off to get her handbag.

Lexi sat at her desk and switched her laptop on, logging onto the Take That website as she knew for certain that they'd be showing the clip. The screen flickered into life and a couple of minutes later the clip looked like it was about to start. Just at that moment there was a rapping at the door.

'What?!!' Lexi growled at the door.

'Lexi, it's me. Can I come in?' Freya called through the door. She was as confused by Lexi's behaviour as Maria was, and wanted to check she was ok.'

'Oh, yes that's fine!' called Lexi, looking up from the computer screen as Freya quietly came in.

'What's up Lex?' she asked, her eyes flicking over to the computer screen as she tried to see what Lexi was looking at.

'This!' Lexi said, beckoning Freya over and pulling a chair out for her to sit on. Freya closed the door and scooted quickly over to the desk, moving the chair nearer to Lexi's to get a better look at the screen. She noticed that Lexi was on a website called Take That.com and on a page headed "NEWS". She raised an eyebrow wondering what it was that was of great interest, it didn't take long to find out.

The screen flickered into action and the first thing they both saw was Robbie and the lads walking towards the camera down what looked like a narrow road or alleyway and all going into a studio. Lexi caught sight of Jason and she felt a prickle running down her spine, that both of them were watching something that possibly millions of other people were watching at the same time.

The article lasted for a few minutes, Lexi not being able to tear her eyes from Jason and wondering what was going on in his mind whilst they had been filming it. She felt like she daren't breathe until it was finished in case she missed anything, her eyes drinking the scene in.

'Well!' Said Freya, standing up and pushing the chair back under the desk. 'You kept that quiet!'

'I didn't have a choice.' Lexi replied. 'I was sworn to secrecy.' she looked sheepishly at Freya, who looked back at her, with understanding in her eyes.

'I'm not surprised that you had to keep that quiet.' Freya mused, shaking her head at Lexi. 'Well, we need to get this sale stuff done. The girls will be wondering where we've both got to, so I'll go check that they're getting it done.' Freya opened the door and disappeared off to check how they were getting on with the sale stock.

By 6pm they'd shut the shop, but they still had a fair amount to do. It was all marked up and the posters in the window advertising the sale, they just needed to hang it all up on rails in the right places. Jason had sent a message to Lexi a few minutes earlier to say he was on the train from Kings Cross and would be there by 7pm. They all worked together as a team and slowly but surely they were getting it done, but it didn't look like they'd be done by 7pm. Lexi kept sneaking glances at her watch and if she wasn't looking at her watch, she was shooting nervous glances towards the door - she could hardly contain her excitement at seeing Jason again. The girls kept looking at each other in confusion, wondering why she was like a cat on a hot tin roof, they were all baffled at her behaviour, apart from Freya who knew the reason.

At dead on 7pm there was a rap at the door followed by two further short, sharp raps. 'Who the fuck is that banging on the door?' Maria moaned - the last thing she wanted was some grumpy customer wanting to try and sneak in looking at the bargains before everyone else.

Lexi licked her lips and shot a glance at the door, this hadn't gone quite as she'd planned. Before she could make a move to the door Maria was off like a shot to give the customer a piece of her mind.

She threw open the door, 'Can't you see the sale starts tomorrow??!!' sheyelled at Jason, who was leaning against the door-frame, a frown of concentration on his face as he tried to look inside for Lexi through the gap in the door.

'Oh, shit!' Maria exclaimed, stepping backwards as she recognised him straight away. She'd recognise him anywhere - she had posters of Take That on her wall and his brooding gaze looked down at her every night. 'Have you got a special invite from head office to get the bargains first?' she asked, confusion crossing her pretty features.


	34. Chapter 34

Graphic sexual scene at the end , so if it isn't your thing don't read. xx

Maria clapped her hands to her mouth. She couldn't believe she'd actually said something so stupid - and to one of her idols too!

Jason laughed. 'No I don't have a special invite from head office and I'm not a customer - unless I'm into Women's clothes. Which I'm not.' He hastened to add.

'So what are you doing here, banging on our door after we've closed?' Maria asked, looking at Jason with obvious curiosity.

'Maria, leave this to me!' Lexi called and quickly made her way to the door. She opened the door wider to let Jason in and he stepped into the shop, leaning towards Lexi and putting an arm around her waist as he drew her towards him for a quick peck on the lips.

Maria and the other two girls Jo and Janie stood there, their mouths open in astonishment. They looked towards Freya and noticed she didn't look particularly surprised. 'You knew about this?' Maria hissed at Freya. Freya shrugged nonchalantly and didn't say answer - she didn't want to drop Lexi in it.

Jason pulled away from Lexi and gazed around the shop, taking in the rails of clothes now neatly arranged ready for the morning. He grinned at Lexi, realising that the girls didn't know anything about the two of them meeting. He looked back at them all, still standing there like statues, clearly shocked at seeing a pop-star in the flesh. 'Evening ladies!' he said, turning his full mega-watt smile onto them and enjoying seeing them all blush. Maria looked like she was going to have a heart attack right there on the spot.

Lexi introduced them all and explained that she'd met Jason on holiday. 'And you didn't tell us!' shrieked Maria. If she'd met him she'd have been shouting it from the rooftops.

'It wasn't something I felt you all needed to know about. This is the first time we've met up properly since we got back and it's early days.' she explained patiently, feeling somewhat annoyed that they had expected her to tell them about meeting him the minute she came back to work.

'Right, come on ladies!' Freya commanded. 'We need to quickly sweep up and then we'll go. Jason and Lexi are off out for dinner.' They all did as they were told, Maria fetching the broom and Janie and Jo picking up hangars, stickers and various sale paraphernalia and throwing bits and pieces in the bins. Lexi grabbed Jason and he helped her push the clothing cages out the back into the store-room and out of the way. Within 10 minutes they were all done and the girls went to grab their coats and bags.

Freya came back onto the shop floor and looked at Jason and Lexi. 'Do you have keys to lock up?' she asked Lexi. She knew that Lexi wanted to quickly get changed and clear her desk before going out.

Lexi nodded.'Yes I have. I'll just finish up here and then we'll be on our way.'

The other girls appeared with all their bits and pieces ready to leave, calling out goodnight to Jason and Lexi and walking to the door. Lexi let them all out, bidding them goodnight and locked the door behind them all.

'I just need to tidy my office, get changed and then we can get going if you want'. Lexi indicated to Jason, to follow her out the back to her office. He followed her through the meandering corridors, admiring the back view of her backside in her tight skirt, as she walked ahead of him. They got into her small cosy office and Jason looked around with curiosity, imagining Lexi sat at her desk working hard.

'Sorry for the mess, we started off doing the sale stuff in here and I haven't had a chance to tidy up properly. Give me a minute,' she indicated to the desk with her hand. It was littered with pieces of paper where they'd peeled the stickers off the roll, marker pens and sale paraphernalia. 'I moved Maria out of here when your interview came on as I wanted to watch it. She wasn't best pleased.' she continued, filling him in on her trying to shoo Maria out of the office so she could watch it in private, making him laugh.

Lexi shut the door which was ajar, 'I'll just get changed,' she said, walking towards a bag which contained her change of clothes and opening it to take them out.

'You look just fine to me!' Jason grinned, raking his eyes up and down her. He liked what she was wearing, it flattered her figure and the shape of the skirt made her legs look like they went on forever. The heels accentuated her fabulous legs. He sat down in her chair, started playing about with the pens and then picked up her plaque which was lying on the desk, waiting to be put up on the wall. 'Is this what you got at your meeting?'

Lexi nodded and blushed. 'So you're popular girl, eh? Well you're certainly popular with me, I haven't been able to get you out of my head.' Jason said softly.

'I haven't been able to get you out of my head either Jason.' Lexi replied, rooting around in the bag for her compact to fix her make-up.

'Come here luv, I haven't had a proper kiss from you yet and I'm dying for one here.' Jason beckoned for Lexi to come over to where he sat, legs sprawled out under the desk. Lexi walked towards him, her legs shaking slightly at the sight of him sat at her desk grinning away like a Cheshire cat. It looked kind of surreal having a member of Take That sat at her desk. He pushed the chair back slightly to give her room and she slid sideways onto his lap, winding her arms around his neck and planting a tender kiss on his lips. Jason felt a shiver run up his spine at the feel of her lips on his and the smell of her perfume. The same familiar one he'd first smelt on holiday. He pulled her tighter to him, feeling her mouth open so he could slip his tongue inside to mingle with hers. He began to nibble softly at her neck, his fingers splayed along her ribs.

She pulled away and looked at him, her head cocked to one side as she studied him.. 'Do you think we should go for dinner?'

'Mmm, not right now.' He reached up and untied her hair, feeling it tumble down around her shoulders and through his fingers. 'God! You don't know how much I've been dreaming about this.' he groaned, feeling her involuntary shiver beneath his fingers, which were still pressed against her blouse, her skin burning at their touch.

'Hold on a mo Jason,' she suddenly got up and disappeared out to the shop floor, leaving him sitting there in the chair, his erection throbbing in his jeans to keep him company as he wondered where the hell she'd gone to. He got up, adjusted himself and wandered around the office to try and cool off until she came back.

She was back a couple of minutes later. 'Sorry, I just realised that the video tape is running and one of the cameras is in here,' she pointed up to the little camera in the corner of the room which had been installed, in case of a raid. ' If we have an audit the last thing I want is them checking the video works ok as they always do when they do an audit, and seeing me and you canoodling on it.'

She walked over to where he stood, looking at the half a dozen shop plaques on the wall next to her desk. He turned around and looked at her, his eyes staring into hers 'So, can we carry on where we just left off?' he raised an eyebrow suggestively at her, trailing his fingers along her arm and causing her to shiver again.

'Mmm... Yes please....' she murmered seductively. 'So what are you planning to do? Are you going to make love to me? Right here? In my office?' she pushed him up against the wall, kissing his neck and running her fingers through his hair. She was enjoying the feeling of female power which having him here in her office gave her.

'Too right I am...' he gasped, as she pressed herself up against him. He pushed her backwards so that she was leaning up against the desk, his hands moving downwards to the curve of her breasts which swelled beneath the thin fabric at his touch. He could feel her nipples harden through the lace of her bra as he rubbed his fingers on them, his lips were on her neck kissing and licking a blazing trail, her head thrown back in ecstasy as he cupped the back of her head with his other hand, his fingers tangled in her dark hair.

He stopped for a minute to undo the buttons of her blouse, then placing one hand either side of her rib cage he dipped his head down to her bra, moving the fabric aside with his tongue to kiss and lick her nipples which were by now rigid. Her blouse fell to the floor, she unhooked her bra and this fell to the floor too as he moved his mouth back to hers kissing her deeply as his hand cupped under the back of her head.

He moved closer to her, one leg nudging between her legs moving them apart so her skirt fell open slightly. 'What have we here then?' He asked with a cheeky grin, licking his lips suggestively. His hands moved under her skirt pulling it further apart where it wrapped around so he could see her hold up stockings. He ran his fingers along the top of them making Lexi shiver again. She reached for the waistband of his jeans, pulling the zip downwards and snaked her hand inside to touch him as he groaned in her ear.

'Lexi, I want you so much!'

'Same here Jason.' She mumbled, her mouth pressed up against the hair above his ear. He could feel her hot breath coming in small pants, making the skin at the top of his ear tingle.

She slid his t-shirt off over his head and started to kiss downwards over his taut stomach and towards the light dusting of dark hairs on his abdomen, which led into his shorts.

Leaning forward, he swept his other hand over the desk, scattering pens, papers and the remnants of stickers, sending them all clattering and fluttering to the floor like a shower of confetti.

He pushed her further back onto the desk, his tongue and lips kissing and licking their way down her body until his mouth was between her legs. Lexi lifted her hips off the table as she writhed in ecstasy against his tongue until she could take no more and she let out a long, drawn out cry as she came.

Pulling his trousers and pants off in one swift move, he kicked them aside and leant back over Lexi, who was laying on the desk watching him with hunger in her eyes. He put his hands on her waist drawing her closer towards him, her eyes locked with his as they began to move together in sync with each other.

Their breaths were ragged and panting as she raked her hands up and down his back with pleasure, until she could take no more as her orgasm shuddered through her body and she groaned his name aloud as with a drawn out, primal cry he joined her.

They lay still for a couple of minutes, him lying across her getting his breath back until she sat up and looked at him with a flirtatious grin. 'That's certainly given me an appetite for dinner Jason. Shall we go get some dinner?'


	35. Chapter 35

Jason slid off Lexi and took in the state of the room with all the sale stuff scattered all over the floor. He grinned at her and picked up his clothes from the floor, swiftly getting dressed. 'That was bloody fantastic, Lex. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all week.'

'Same here Jason! I was watching you on that interview today and wanting you so badly it hurt,' she slid off the desk and retrieved her underwear and clothing. She shoved her workclothes into the holdall and drew out a clean pair of jeans and a pretty top, quickly changing into them and sprayed a little perfume on.

She went to tie her hair back up and Jason stopped her; 'No leave it down.'

'What is it with you and my hair?'

'Dunno...' he replied, looking sheepish. 'It's just so sexy when it's down I guess. You look like a wanton woman,' he pulled her towards him for a kiss, inhaling her scent. 'Lexi, I love you so very, very much.'

'I love you too Jason. I think I've realised what it feels like to really love someone since I met you,' she replied, kissing him back.

She pulled away to put her hair-ties back into her bag and zipped it back up. Jason picked it up, slinging it over his shoulder along with his own bag of clothing and toiletries. 'So where are we going tonight then?' he asked her, as she quickly picked up the papers and pens off the floor, putting the rubbish in the bin and the rest in a neat pile on her desk.

'Do you like Italian? If you do, then we can go to La Margherita maybe? It's a little family-run Italian place just up the hill which does the best Italian food I've tasted anywhere apart from Italy.'

Jason nodded that it would be fine with him and they wandered out onto the shop floor to go out the front door. 'That's funny!' Lexi exclaimed, bending down and retrieved Maria's mobile phone off the floor by the cash desk. 'I could have sworn she was on this texting someone when I let them all out tonight. Maybe I was mistaken. I was so busy trying to get rid of them maybe I've got it wrong,' she left the phone on the top of the cash desk where Maria wouldn't miss it the following morning. She then set the alarm and they let themselves out to walk hand in hand up the hill to the restaurant.

They enjoyed a fantastic meal and a bottle of red wine. Lexi only had a small glass as she had her car parked nearby to drive them both back to her parents' house. When Lexi had said to Anna that Jason was coming to visit her she'd insisted that he have the spare room and that he couldn't stay at a hotel nearby. They'd never discussed it, but Lexi was sure that Anna had guessed they were sleeping together, surely she had realised they were when Lexi didn't return on the last night of their holiday? But Anna still had slightly old-fashioned views of what was right and wrong, and so Lexi went along with her giving Jason the spare room, thinking she could always sneak across the landing into his room and hopefully they wouldn't realise.

'So, where are you taking me tomorrow luv?' Jason asked. He was quite looking forward to seeing some of Cambridge seeing as the only view he'd really seen of it in the past was the back of the Corn Exchange after their concert all those years ago.

'Do you fancy going punting along the river? Then we could maybe see Kings College if you want,' she suggested, finishing the last of her glass of wine.' I do have a confession to make though, my Nan wants to meet you. I haven't had a chance to see her since we got back so mum asked her to dinner tomorrow evening. All she knows is that your name's Jason and I met you on holiday. Is that OK?'

Jason answered that the plans for tomorrow were fine with him and that he was ok with meeting her Nan for the first time. She'd mentioned her on holiday and said that she was very close to her, so he was quite looking forward to meeting her. He knew if she was anything like the rest of the family she'd be lovely - well, apart from James who was a bit strange at times, but he was harmless enough.

They left the restaurant not long after, Lexi insisting that they split the bill - despite Jason saying he wanted to pay. Lexi drove home feeling a little nervous about bringing Jason home for the first time. The car crunched on the gravel as they drew onto the driveway, the lights blazing from a few of the windows. Lexi let them both in to find Anna and Joe in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate and eating biscuits.

Joe got up, walking towards them he put his hand out and shook Jason's hand clapping him on the back. 'Nice to see you Jason.'

'Thanks Joe, nice to see you again too!' Jason replied. He liked Joe a lot. He was a really easy-going man who Jason found easy to get along with.

Anna moved towards Jason, kissing him on the cheek affectionately and then turned and kissed Lexi too. 'Did you have a nice evening? What did you do and where did you go?'

Jason made a choking noise and turned a vivid shade of beetroot red as he recalled him and Lexi christening her desk at work. He felt Lexi dig him with her elbow. 'I showed Jason my office at the shop and then we went out for a meal,' she replied, with wide-eyed innocence. She dug him in the ribs again as she realised he was trying hard not to laugh at her reply and worked out what he was thinking about.

'I'll go show Jason his room.' Lexi said, taking hold of Jason's hand and leading him up the stairs. 'Night mum, night dad.'

Anna and Joe looked at each other once they'd left the room. 'What was all that about?' she asked Joe, looking confused.

'Beats me hun.' Young people confuse me sometimes.' Joe replied, forgetting that Jason wasn't really so young.

'So this is your room Jay.' Lexi indicated around the room, showing him where his bathroom was. It was a large room with a double bed and a view out over the fields to the back of the house.

'Is this your room too?' Jason asked Lexi.

'Ermm no. Sorry, but mum has some old-fashioned ideas. I'm in the room next door, but if you're a good boy and keep quiet I might come and get in your bed to keep you warm,' she whispered, putting her arms around his waist and kissing him on the lips.

'Can't wait,' he whispered, kissing her back.

She then turned away with regret, kissing him one last time. 'Good night Jay, see you in the morning.'

Lexi lay in bed waiting for her parents to go to bed, by the time they came up half an hour later she'd fallen asleep and her plan to creep into Jason's bed didn't happen. Jason lay in his own bed, guessed that she'd probably fallen asleep and smiled to himself at the thought of her probably in her own bed fast asleep.

Jason woke up early the following morning, the sun streaming through his window onto the floor. He realised it must have been the silence which had woken him up. He'd lived in cities all his life and was used to the noise and the buzz which went hand in hand with life in the city. He opened the curtains to look out and found that the house was surrounded at the back by mile upon mile of fields containing fruit trees as far as the eye could see. The garden which his room overlooked was huge with a border full of apple-blossom trees and rose bushes. He could now see where Lexi got her love of roses from.

He poked his head out of the bedroom door to get his bearings and walked downstairs to the kitchen in his pyjamas and a t-shirt. Joe was already down there making tea to take to Anna in bed. 'Want some?' he asked, indicating to the teapot. Jason nodded, Joe poured him a cup and set it down in front of him and showed him where the cereals were. After they'd had breakfast Lexi still wasn't down, so Joe winked at Jason. 'You can go wake her up if you want. If you let her, she'll sleep all day with this country air around here. She's even later than usual this morning, something must have knackered her out,' he handed Jason a cup of tea for Lexi and Jason headed up the stairs to wake her laughing to himself - he knew just what had probably knackered her out.

He poked his head around the door,Lexi was still fast asleep looking relaxed and very pretty. He sat down next to her, kissing her nose, her forehead and then her lips until she stirred. 'Morning sexy!' he greeted her with a cheeky grin, 'I brought you a cup of tea,' she wound her arms around his neck drawing him to her for a good morning kiss.

'Mmm, that's lovely bringing me a cup of tea Jase,' she picked up the cup and drank a large swallow from it, then swung her legs out from under the quilt to get out of bed. Jason looked around the room, taking in the views again towards the garden as he opened the curtains for her.

'So, how come you still live at home with your parents Lex? It's just unusual that's all,' he asked, not wishing to offend her.

'I've looked at house prices and it's just so expensive to buy around here, it's nearly London prices. I just can't afford them on my wages. I looked at renting, but my friends are all pretty much attached and I can't afford to rent on my own - well, unless I'm prepared to live in a dive,' she shrugged her shoulders, 'It's not that bad really, the only pain to live with is James and he's hardly ever here anyway.'

'Yeah I guess it makes sense to live with your folks then,' he agreed and leant across to give her a peck on the lips, 'I'll leave you to have a shower and I'll see you downstairs ok? Are we still doing the things today you suggested?'

Lexi nodded, 'you bet. I'll just grab a shower and I'll meet you downstairs ok?'

Jason headed off downstairs, cup in hand to grab some breakfast and have another cup of tea and a chat with Joe. He really liked the man and wanted to get to know him a bit better.

+++++++

Meanwhile, at Lexi's shop in the town centre the girls had arrived at the shop about half an hour earlier. Maria was running late and came charging in the shop apologising to Freya for being so late, her mobile phone stuck to her ear chatting away for all she was worth in a low voice - the same mobile phone Lexi had placed on the cash desk the night before ...........


	36. Chapter 36

By the time Lexi and Jason were ready to go into Cambridge it was late morning. She'd put on her denim short skirt which she'd worn in Greece with a camisole top and Jason thought she looked very fresh and pretty. It looked like the day would shape up to be a lovely, sunny day. There was hardly a cloud in the sky as Jason picked up his sunglasses and came out to the car, so Lexi could drive into Cambridge. He hoped that as there were so many foreign tourists in the city he wouldn't get noticed amongst the crowds and they could have a nice, quiet day without interruptions from fans who recognised him.

By the time they arrived into Cambridge, the city centre was heaving with tourists and there were queues at all the punt stations. They settled on one at the Magdalene Bridge, as Lexi said that it meant they'd be able to punt past the most famous colleges, namely Trinity, Kings, St Johns and Magdalene. Jason kept his sunglasses on, despite this he could see the odd person elbowing the person next to them in the queue when they recognised him. Luckily no-one actually came up and asked for an autograph, so he relaxed and took in the lovely surroundings of the pretty, Magdalene Street bridge and the sight of Magdalene College with it's high walls set right on the river, to stop busy-bodies looking into the grounds.

While they waited, Lexi nipped across to an ice-cream shop and bought them both ice-creams to keep them cool and within a few minutes their punt drew up along the quayside. Jason helped Lexi into the punt, then when she was settled in the cushioned back seat he jumped down to join her. The guide pushed away from the side and they slowly started to glide silently down the river, the water making a slap-slap sound against the side of the boat. Jason draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him and kissing her forehead with affection. She slipped her arms around his waist and leant her head against his shoulder as the guide started his spiel about the history of the city.

They passed the back of Trinity and Kings Colleges with their beautifully manicured lawns and flowerbeds, the guide filling them in about the history of each one.

'Trinity College was founded in 1546 by Henry the 8th.' He explained, gesturing towards the college. 'Only men were allowed into it until very recently.'

'Sensible idea!' Jason smirked, which earned him a slap on the arm from Lexi in disgust.

'Sexist!' she laughed, knowing he was only messing about.

The Guide pointed out Kings College chapel, it's stained-glass windows glinting in the sunlight. It sounded like there was a choir practising inside, as they could hear beautiful voices soaring upwards as they passed.

All too soon it was over and they were back where they'd begun. The quay-side was still crowded with people in the lunchtime sunshine waiting for punts and those sitting in the sunshine in the pavement cafes eating lunch.

'I know just the place for lunch if you're hungry.' Lexi said grabbing hold of Jason's hand and leading them away from the quay-side, her eye-sight momentarily disturbed by a small commotion nearby. It was a news reporter from what looked like the local newspaper who was reporting about the potential problem of the river silting up with rubbish. The camera-man Phil, had his camera trained on the news-reporter as Jason and Lexi walked past in the background. Just at that minute, the piece finished and Phil moved the camera off the reporter. He turned and spotted Jason and Lexi and straight away recognised Jason as being out of Take That. Lexi and Jason were lost in conversation with each other and didn't notice him train the camera on them for a few seconds, the film still rolling.

'Hmmm... wonder if that's a local girl he's with or if he's here for a dirty weekend away with a girlfriend,' he muttered to himself. 'It's not every day you spot someone famous just wandering past - especially somewhere like Cambridge.' He checked that he'd got the image of them ok and saved it, thinking maybe he could get a good price from one of the tabloids for it. Maybe someone could shed light on why Jason was here, he thought to himself.

++++++++++

Lexi's shop in the centre of the town was heaving too with customers, looking for bargains in the sale. Maria had been rushed off her feet and hadn't had a minute to herself since she'd rushed into work late. She'd been on the phone to her friend Kat when she'd walked in that morning, filling her in on the previous night's surreal events with Jason Orange turning up at closing time.

Her thoughts flickered back to that previous evening and she recalled what had happened at closing time. She'd been as shocked as the others that Jason had turned up at the shop and she was more than a little annoyed that Lexi had kept him a secret from them all. After Lexi had locked the door behind them, they'd all walked back to the Park & Ride stops, halfway there Maria realised she'd left her Marks & Spencer Curry for One in the fridge. She bid goodnight to the girls and turned back to the shop. Unlocking the door she was confused to see all the lights were still ablaze, and that the shop alarm hadn't sounded for her to put her password in. She'd assumed that maybe Lexi had forgotten to switch the lights off and to set the alarm in her hurry to go out with Jason.

She put her handbag on the cashdesk and disappeared around the back to the kitchen area, not noticing that the bag was open and at an angle. As she disappeared out the back it tipped over, sending her mobile phone clattering onto the shop floor and settling to the side of the cash desk.

As she had walked past Lexi's office she'd heard a muffled moaning noise which made her jump, she hesitated for a minute wondering if she'd imagined the noise. Then she'd heard Lexi's unmistakeable voice asking Jason if he was going to make love to her in her office and him saying yes. She was shocked to hear her usually sensible boss talking like this and couldn't quite believe she was hearing it.

She quickly went into the kitchen, opening the fridge door she'd taken her dinner out of the fridge, shoving it in a bag. She turned to leave the staff area and noticed the video player in the corner switched off and realised why Lexi had switched it off. She leant across and flicked the "on" switch, watching the camera flicker to life. There on the camera was Lexi, half dressed and Jason was leant across her, sweeping the pens onto the floor.

Maria turned away quickly. She hadn't want to see any more, but it was fairly obvious what was going on. She had quickly picked up her shopping bag and let herself quietly out of the shop.

Maria had waited around for a while outside, until she'd seen Lexi and Jason come out of the shop and after waiting a few minutes she let herself back inside the shop to retrieve the video tape. 'That's strange...' she remarked, seeing her mobile sitting on the side of the cash desk where Lexi had picked it up on their way out. She quickly popped it into her handbag and hurried through to the staff area again, ejecting the video tape and putting it into her handbag. It would get picked up the following day that it was missing, but hopefully they'd just think it had accidently found it's way into the bin or some other random reason, she thought to herself.

Once Maria got home she had turned the video tape over in her hands, not really sure what to do with it. She slipped it into her wardrobe drawer wondering what the hell had made her do it, but maybe it would come in useful one day. You never know, at the end of her training period she could use it as leverage if Lexi didn't offer her a job - she could produce it and threaten to use it. She knew Lexi thought she was a bit lazy and she wasn't doing very well on her Retail College course either so she might have to use it after all.

Freya's voice broke into Maria's thoughts about the night before, asking her if she wanted to go for lunch and she readily agreed. She felt a little guilty still but not guilty enough to replace the tape in it's rightful place and delete the evidence.

++++++++

Lexi and Jason drew up in the car park of the Red Lion pub in the tiny village of Grantchester on the outskirts of Cambridge. It had a lovely, little garden overlooking the river so they sat down at a table to have lunch. Jason disappeared inside to fetch soft drinks and they decided to order Ploughman's lunches. Once they'd eaten they went for a walk along the River Cam, the same one they'd been on earlier that day in the punt. Outside of Cambridge it meandered through the countryside, until it narrowed when it ended up in Cambridge itself. They walked along through the grass holding hands and discussing their plans for the following week:

'I have to work next Saturday but I have Sunday and Monday off.' Lexi said with regret. 'It's going to be hard having this long distance romance eh?'

'It's not ideal Lexi, but I think you're worth it.' Jason replied, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him for a kiss.'I've got a meeting with the lads next week to decide which single we'll release and to do a couple of photo shoots. 'How about you come to see me in London, straight from work on Saturday evening?' Jason suggested, smiling at her. He wanted to see as much of her as he possibly could and he was sure he hadn't got anything major planned. If he had, he was sure he could juggle his schedule a little.

Lexi nodded in agreement, 'I'd love to Jase. It'll be nice to see where you live and your world.' She stopped as they walked past a large, old house set back from the river. 'That's Jeffrey Archer, the writer's house there. It's called the Old Vicarage and supposedly belonged to the poet Rupert Brooke. She pointed it out to him.

Jason craned his head to get a good look. 'Nice house. Judging by the big houses in the area, he could bet that house prices were more expensive than in Manchester.

After walking half-way back to Cambridge Lexi looked at her watch. 'We'd better make tracks, Nanna will probably be there when we get back.' Jason nodded and put his arm around her waist, hoping her Nanna would be as nice as Lexi had described.

They arrived back not long after James had been to fetch their Nanna Daisy. She was sitting in the conservatory having a cup of tea as Lexi and Jason walked in through the front door. She hobbled over to greet them with a big smile on her face, she'd missed Lexi and was dying to meet this new man she'd heard bits about.

She leant over and gave Lexi a big kiss and a hug, then turned and looked at Jason with a twinkle in her eye and winked.

'So, you're Jason then? I've been looking forward to meeting you and now I have, I can see what she sees in you. Come on, lets have a chat so I can check you're intentions are honourable.'


	37. Chapter 37

Jason smiled at Nanna Daisy and offered her his arm so she could grasp onto it to hobble up to the dining room table. She took hold of it and Lexi was amazed to see her Nanna give him a flirtatious little look as if to say; "If only I was younger!"

He pulled the chair out for her and made sure she was settled and then stood to one side waiting to see where he should sit. James was in the kitchen trying to sneak bits of lamb off his dad while he carved the joint. Anna slapped his hand as she saw it snake towards the plate. 'Get your hands away and make yourself useful,' she handed him a dish of crispy roast potatoes and a serving spoon and ushered him out of the room only for him to re-appear a few minutes later, hovering around the kitchen again.

'James, whatever's the matter with you, you're like a fart in a trance?' his dad said, in an exasperated voice, handing him the serving plate with lamb on it. 'Take that through to the dining room and mind you don't put your dirty fingers on the meat!'

James skulked off to the dining room with the plate and took his place at the dining table next to his Nanna. 'Do you need any help Nan?'

'I'm not a bloody invalid!' Daisy answered testily and shot Jason another flirtatious look to where he was now sitting at the table opposite her. Jason reddened, not realising she was messing about.

A few minutes later Anna and Joe brought the rest of the dinner through from the kitchen and sat down. 'It looks delicious Mrs Willis,' Jason said, taking an appreciative sniff. Roast dinner was one of his favourites as he very rarely got to eat one.

'Please don't call me Mrs Willis!' Anna laughed. 'You make me feel old!'

'So, I understand you met Lexi on holiday Jason?' Daisy asked, fixing her eyes on Jason. She was a pretty good judge of character and her gut feeling was that Jason was very keen on her grand-daughter.

'Yes... err Mrs....' Jason fumbled, as he realised he didn't know her last name. He felt Lexi put a reassuring hand on this thigh and he reached down and tucked her hand in his under the table.

Daisy sighed, 'just call me Daisy, son. I'm not that scary am I?' She leant across and helped herself to some lamb, heaping it onto her plate and spooning some mint sauce alongside it.

Jason shook his head. It wasn't that she was scary he thought, he just knew she was astute and he didn't want to mess up. He knew it was important to Lexi that her Nanna liked him, as they were so close.

'Well, I can see why she fell for you, you're a very handsome young man. So, tell me a bit about yourself then?'

As he started to pile food on his plate he proceeded to tell her about his brother Josh, his other younger brother Seb and his parents Steve and Pat back in Manchester and a few snippets about his home in London. He was wondering when to drop into the conversation what his day job was, in case she didn't approve.

He needn't have worried, Daisy had already spotted that he hadn't said what he did for a living. She wondered if he hadn't said because he was something like a dust-bin man - not that he looked like he did something like that for a living. She'd already noted his clean fingernails and expensive looking clothes.

'So Jason, what are your job prospects like?'

James snorted with laughter, choking on a piece of roast potato which went down the wrong way. His Nanna was an avid reader of The Sun newspaper and he was gobsmacked that she hadn't realised who Jason was.

'What's so funny?' Daisy asked in confusion. 'It's a normal enough question. I just want to check him out!'

'Sure you do, Nanna!' James replied, with a dirty laugh as he took a sip of water to clear his throat of the offending potato.

Jason had been using the time while they threw comments across the table at each other to compose what he was going to say.

'Ermm... I'm in a band Daisy,' Jason interrupted the two of them.

Daisy looked at him in astonishment, thinking she hadn't expected him to say that. 'So, if that's your part-time hobby what do you do as a full-time job?'

'That is my full-time job.' Jason replied with a big smile, thinking by now she would twig who he was. Especially if she ever read newspapers, given that they were always in them. He carefully cut a piece of lamb up and put it in his mouth, trying to avoid her gaze at him.

'Well I wouldn't have thought that pays the bills does it?'

James jumped up from the table and went to fetch his laptop. He fired it up and then typed in Take That into the search engine until a photo of the band popped up.

'Does his face ring a bell yet Nanna?' he shoved the laptop under her nose. 'I'd say his job more than pays the bills, don't you think?'

Daisy's mouth opened a wide 'O' as she looked at the photo. There was silence for a minute until she pointed at Gary in the photo. 'Sorry I didn't recognise you luv. I always had a fancy for him. You know, the blond one.'

Jason laughed, 'I'll remember to tell him he has an admirer when I see him, shall I?'

'Ooh, I'd show him a thing or two!' Daisy pealed with laughter wagging her finger at Jason. 'I was a right handful when I was young!'

Once she'd stopped laughing, she asked him about each individual member of the band and how they all got along.

''Well, Howard is so laid-back he's nearly horizontal. He's a sound bloke and a brilliant DJ. Mark's just a great bloke, a really good friend and a good sounding board, Gary's a real geek with all his gizmos and he can be a bit of an old woman about them. But he's one of the nicest men I've ever met. He's a real perfectionist. Robbie - well, he's Robbie. He gives off the persona that he's confident and cocky, but it's all a front.'

When he'd finished, she then wanted to know why he wasn't already attached when he met Lexi. She remembered she'd heard he was a bit of a ladies man, now she thought about what she'd read in the Sun.

'Well, a lot of it isn't true Daisy, but the simple truth is I've never met the right person. My job doesn't exactly make it easy, what with the funny hours. Well, I hadn't met anyone like Lexi until now. She's really special and I love her very much. I've asked her to come to London next Sunday and hopefully she can meet some or all of the lads.'

He turned to look at Lexi, squeezing her hand again under the table. She looked at him in surprise, realising he was saying she was different and that it had probably taken a lot to admit that in front of all of them. Joe raised his eyebrows in surprise, he knew Jason was keen but he hadn't suspected he was this serious about her.

'That's good son, I'm sure you do,' Daisy looked at Jason and smiled at him, 'just do me a favour, don't hurt her. That stupid lad Michael really messed her about and I couldn't bear to see her hurt again.'

'Nan! I can fight my own battles!' Lexi remarked, feeling embarassed at her Nanna's forthright attitude and the fact that she really didn't care who Jason was - famous or not.

By the time they finished dinner all the plates were empty. 'That was fabulous Anna!' Jason said, pushing his chair back and rubbing his stomach. 'I feel fit to burst!'

'Thank you Jason!' Anna replied. She always liked it when guests cleared their plates. He got up and started clearing the plates and then headed into the kitchen to help her load the dishwasher.

+++++++++++++

Phil had got back to his studio and was double checking his film for the local TV about the river's silting problem. He then turned his attention to the couple of photos he'd taken of Jason and Lexi by the river. He looked at it and was relieved to see it had come out clearly and was quite obviously Jason Orange. He didn't recognise the dark haired young lady who was holding his hand, but he was pleased to see that her face had come out very well on the photographs. He went to fetch an A4 envelope and addressed it to a friend who worked for the Sun newspaper. He then attached a short note to his friend asking if he recognised Lexi and said his friend owed him big-time for getting the photos, as Jason was very rarely seen out with a girl.

Menawhile, Kat had called around to go out with Maria for a night out on the town. They were going to Vodka Revolutions, a popular hot-spot with the younger people in Cambridge. It was the place to be seen in the town and was Maria & Kat's favourite Saturday night haunt because of the amount of "male totty" as Kat insisted on calling lads.

They had opened a bottle of white wine to get them off to a merry start before they went out, to drink while they got ready. Maria opened her wardrobe drawer to get a white lacy thong out, to go under her ultra-short strapless dress which didn't leave much to the imagination, drinking a large glug of wine from her wine glass. She saw the video tape nestled in the drawer amongst her knickers and bras. Picking it up she brandished it under Kat's nose.

'Lookie what I've got here!' she crowed triumphantly.

Kat looked at it in confusion.'What's that?'

'Amunition if I need it,' Maria muttered, taking another swig of her wine. 'You'll never guess who's shagging on this tape?'

'No!!!' screeched Kat, knowing she must mean Jason and Lexi. She'd told her on the phone that morning all about him turning up on the Friday night. 'What will you do with it?'

'Dunno yet,' Maria replied, taking yet another swig and feeling pleasantly buzzy. 'Haven't decided. The right opportunity will present itself, I'm sure.'

At 10 0'clock Daisy had started to nod off in front of the tv, so she shook herself awake. 'Lex, can you drop me home?'

Lexi and Jason drove the twenty minute journey and dropped her off at her little flat. As they went to leave she grabbed hold of Lexi's hand, 'enjoy the rest of your weekend darling.' Then she turned to Jason. 'It was lovely meeting you luv, hope to see you again,' he nodded and after both kissing her they headed back to the car.

Anna and Joe were just going to bed when they got home. James had gone out with his mates so wouldn't be back for hours. Lexi and Jason headed off to their respective bedrooms; 'see you later shall I?' Lexi said, winking at him.

She lay in bed until she was sure her mum and dad were asleep, creeping out of bed she tip-toed across the landing to Jason's room. He was fast asleep, one arm behind his head and snoring softly. Lexi crept into the bed, she lifted his t-shirt slightly and ran her hand down the dark line of hairs leading down his stomach until she reached what she was looking for. He still lay sleeping, shifting slightly as he slept. He awoke as he felt her fingers stroked downwards, making the contents of his boxer shorts stand to attention straight away.

'Bugger me Lex! I thought I was having an erotic dream and here you are!'

She put her fingers to his lips. 'Don't you remember I told you last night you had to be a good boy and keep quiet?'

He kissed her fingers. 'I promise I'll be quiet. It's you who's the noisy one,' he whispered into her hair as she carried on, her tongue trailing down his body.


	38. Chapter 38

Jason lay back on the pillows, his hand tucked behind his head. Lexi lay with her head in the crook of his arm, one leg thrown over his, a small smile playing on her lips. They had made love for ages, Jason bringing Lexi to heights of passion she never would have thought possible before she met him. He'd had to clamp one hand over her mouth as she was so noisy, worried that they'd wake her parents with the racket and he'd have Joe hammering on the door for "corrupting his little girl". Jason smiled to himself thinking that he hadn't corrupted her, she was doing fine on her own creeping into his room like she had.

He woke up with a start as the sunshine poured in through the window, he realised at some point Lexi must have crept back into her own room. He stretched out and yawned, running his fingers through his hair making it stand on end and decided he'd better get up when he looked over at his watch and realised it was gone 9am.

Lexi was already downstairs when he turned up at the kitchen door. She came over and planted a kiss on his lips pinching his backside at the same time. 'You thought you'd get up then, must be all that fresh air which tired you out, eh?'

He grinned in reply and gave her a peck on the cheek. 'You must be right,' he said, as he winked at her and gave her a knowing look.

She handed him a cup of Earl Grey tea, 'so, what time do you need to be back today?'

He sat down at the breakfast bar and rubbed his chin with his hand, feeling the stubble which he needed to sort out this morning. 'Ermm, I suppose around lunch-time maybe. I need to get some food in the cupboards for the week and sort out with the lads where I'm meeting them for the first photo shoot tomorrow.'

After they'd finished breakfast and got dressed they decided to go for a walk before Lexi would drive him into Cambridge to catch the train back to London.

'I'll see what the lads are doing next Sunday and maybe you can meet them. What do you think? he asked her, as they walked through the countryside near her house, her hand clasped tightly in his.

'I'd love to meet them, but what if they don't like me?'

'Lex, what is there not to like about you?' Jason asked, planting a tender kiss on her lips and stroking her cheek. He turned her to face him pulling her towards him to kiss her more firmly, his hands resting on her jeans clad bottom which he squeezed affectionately.

'Lex, I have something to ask you. It's my 40th birthday in a couple of weeks in Manchester and all my family and friends will be there. How do you feel about coming? I really want them to meet you if that's ok with you?'

'Jase, I'd love to! I'd need to speak to my Area Manager Debs to ask if I can have maybe a few days holiday. Can I let you know when I speak to her tomorrow? She may say no as I've already had a load of holiday recently.'

He nodded that it was fine and all too soon he looked at his watch and said that she'd best take him to the railway station.

She dropped him at the station, not wanting to come to the turnstiles to say goodbye as she couldn't bear it with everyone bustling past them. She got out, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him tenderly, not wanting to let him go. He leant down, taking her face in his hands kissing her back, not wanting to be the one to break the kiss either.

Eventually he turned away, a look of regret crossing his face. 'Remember, Lexi I love you and I can't wait to see you again soon'. Then he was gone, crossing the car park and heading into the Victorian building without looking back.

Lexi arrived at work early the following morning to find Freya already there, a look of confusion on her face.

'Problem?' Lexi asked, sitting down at her desk, a smile on her face as she recalled the events that had taken place on it three days previously.

'Well I don't know really....' Freya replied, scratching her head. 'I've just noticed Friday's videotape is missing and I can't think where it can be.'

'Well it can't have gone far. It'll turn up, I bet it's been filed in the cabinet wrongly or maybe whoever changed it brought it through to the shop floor and forgot to put it back in it's rightful place.'

'But I can't think who changed it. There's no initials in the book and it's disappeared off the face of the earth. I've been looking for it.'

Lexi shrugged, 'these things happen. Don't you remember one went missing last year and it turned up in the bin? Someone had put a newspaper on top of it and then picked it up with the newspaper and threw it away.

Freya nodded, 'you could be right I suppose. I'll nip out at lunchtime and buy a replacement if we don't find it.'

'Thanks,' Lexi replied, picking up the sales figures which Freya had thoughtfully put on her desk when they'd arrived in Saturday's post.

Her phone pinged as she received a text. She picked it up and smiled to see Jason had texted her to say he was missing her and couldn't wait to see her soon. She replied back to say she was missing him too and couldn't wait until the following Sunday.

'Right, better get this over and done with!' she muttered to herself and picked up the phone, dialling her Area Manager's number. Debbie picked the phone up within a couple of rings and after exchanging pleasantries Lexi broached the subject she had rung Debbie about.

'Debbie, I have a favour to ask you if possible?'

'What is it Lexi?'

Lexi swallowed hard, not quite sure where to start. She wanted to word it carefully and felt that maybe Debbie should know the truth. She'd known her quite a few years and was sure she could trust her.

'Ermmm. You know when I went to Greece recently? Well I met someone special, really special possibly.'

'Go on...' Debbie prompted as Lexi hesitated. She started wondering whether Lexi was going to hand in her notice and hoped that wasn't the case.

'Well, it turns out he's Jason Orange from Take That.'

'You're kidding, right?'

'No Debbie I'm not. He was staying nearby, we met there and I've seen him since we came back.'

'So, is it serious then?' Debbie asked. She hadn't been expecting Lexi to announce anything like that.

'Well, it's early days yet but I love him very much and it seems he feels the same way. The thing is, not many people know at the moment and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. So I'd appreciate it if you kept it under your hat.'

'No problem Lexi. I'm really pleased for you hun. You deserve some happiness after what that bloke you were seeing put you through.' Debbie knew about Michael, because she'd happened to come to the shop for a visit the day after it happened to find Lexi not her usual bubbly self and Freya had discreetly taken her to one side to explain why.

'Thanks Debbie. The thing is, he's asked me to come to Manchester the weekend after next as it's his 40th birthday and he wants to introduce me to his family and attend his party. I'm supposed to be working that weeked so I wondered if I could take maybe a few days holiday. Say, the Friday through to the Tuesday?'

Debbie rooted through her briefcase looking for her file which contained all the shop's staffing rotas. She quickly found Cambridge's one and ran her finger along the line Lexi was referring to. 'Well, you have enough staff to take the Friday, Monday and Tuesday off. If Freya's willing to have this coming weekend off instead, then you could have the following weekend off as you'd have enough staff. If she can't, then come back to me and I'll see what I can do with getting some help from another branch. We can't have you missing something that important, eh?'

'Oh Debbie you're a star! Thank you so much!'

'No problem Lexi. As you know, the shops are my priority but I also understand that the staff have to be happy too.' Debbie replied warmly.

They chatted for a few minutes later about work issues and how the staff all were and Lexi rang off, thanking Debbie again. She went to find Freya who readily agreed to swap as she had nothing planned as yet for her weekend off.

'Thanks Freya, I really appreciate it,' she said, giving Freya a quick hug of thanks.

She quickly texted Jason to let him know and a couple of minutes later her phone rang. His name came up on the screen and she picked it up.

'Hi Jay how are you?'

'I'm fine,' he said softly down the phone, smiling at hearing her voice. Just the sound of her the other end of the phone sent a shiver down his spine.

'So you got my good news then?' Lexi asked, grinning down the phone.

'Yep! I'm really pleased luv. We'll discuss how we're going to get there when I see you on Sunday, ok?'

'Jason, I'm really sorry. I'm afraid I have to work Sunday as Freya is swapping her weekend off so I can come. That means we are short Sunday so I'll have to come down after work. Is that ok?'

'Of course it is. If it means you can come to the party then that's fine,' he was just pleased that Debbie and Freya had agreed to help out so she could come. Though he was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be down until later on Sunday.

'So, how's the photo session going?'

'It's going great. They've got us all done up in black leather jackets, dark trousers and boots. I think the photographer's going for the "mean and moody" look,' he laughed down the phone, thinking about the fun they were all having. 'It's a really relaxed atmosphere and we're having such a laugh. Hopefully that'll show in the photos, y'know how relaxed we are.'

'Will I get to see them before they appear in the magazine it's for?' Lexi asked, liking the sound of Jason looking "mean and moody" as he described it.

'Yeah, I'll ask if I can have some copies and a copy of the article before it goes to press properly ok?'

'Cool, I look forward to it.'

They carried on talking for a few minutes, arranging what time train Lexi thought she could make and what they would do the evening she arrived, then she heard Mark calling Jason in the background to come back for more photos, so his voice sounding regretful he said he'd better go and that he loved her.

The rest of the day was busy and Lexi didn't get much time to herself until towards the end of the day. She called Maria into her office as she knew Maria had some assignments due in for her part-time retailing course at the local polytechnic which their company funded to provide extra training for the young trainees. Maria arrived at her door,a sullen look on her face, still looking a bit pasty from lack of sleep over the weekend.

'You wanted me?' Maria asked, shoving a greasy looking hank of hair behind her ear and throwing the door open.

'Hi Maria. How are you doing with the assignments due in on Friday?'

'I've done one, but the other two I haven't started yet.' Maria replied, with a moody shrug of her shoulders as if to show she wasn't really bothered either.

'You do realise if you don't get your assignments in they can fail you don't you? And if they fail you there is no guarantee of a job here at the end of it? Lexi knew that Maria was aware of this, as she had been when she was first taken on.

Maria nodded slowly, still not looking Lexi in the face fully. 'Is anything wrong or is there anything I can help with if you're struggling?' Lexi asked with concern. 'You really don't look well, is everything ok?'

'Nothing that a decent night's sleep won't put right. I was on the piss all weekend and I didn't get chance to do any assignment.' Maria replied, a flippant tone to her voice.

'Right, well I suggest you get a good night's sleep tonight Maria and crack on with those assignments if I were you.' Lexi told Maria in a firm voice. 'You really need to pull your socks up if you want to pass your course,' she was not impressed at all to hear that Maria had been drinking all weekend on and off. She appreciated that Maria was young, but if it affected her work then it wasn't good enough.

'Finished talking have you?' Maria muttered with a sour look on her face.

Lexi nodded and Maria turned on her heel, slamming the door loudly. 'Snotty bitch, you won't think you're so perfect when I've finished with you.' Maria hissed quietly out of Lexi's earshot as the door banged shut.


	39. Chapter 39

The photoshoot had gone well, the lads all agreed that the photographer had done a good job of making them all relaxed and it looked like he'd got a good batch of very different looking shots to previous shoots they'd had with other photographers. They just had to come back tomorrow to finish off and to do their interviews to accompany the photos.

Jason slipped a jacket on over his t-shirt and looked over at Mark who was clowning about with Robbie. He smiled indulgently and called over to them both. 'Lads, have you got plans for next Monday?'

Mark sauntered over, 'not as far as I know mate. I was planning on spending a quiet day at home. Why?'

'Lexi's coming down here on Sunday night and I wondered if you'd like to come along to mine for a barbeque on the Monday afternoon.'

'I'll speak to Katrina and let you know tomorrow, ok?' Mark replied. 'It will be lovely to meet Lexi. To see this girl who's made you all gooey-eyed!'

'So it's all still going well Jay?' Robbie asked, wandering over to them both and pulling on a sweater as he came. They'd all noticed how relaxed Jason seemed since he'd met Lexi and had agreed she was good for him.

Jason nodded, checking his mobile phone to make sure Lexi hadn't left any messages, which she hadn't. 'I'm embarassed to admit that I'm mad about her. Something I bet you never thought you'd hear me say Rob, did you?'

'No Jay. I can't remember ever seeing you like this before. She must be something special. But I'm sorry me and Tina are off to Paris for the weekend next weekend. It would have been nice to meet her.'

'She is special Rob, but maybe next time.'

Howard and Gary walked into the room. They had been outside having a quick chat while Howard had a cigarette. 'What's all this then?' Gary asked, coming over to see what Jason, Mark and Robbie were talking about, all huddled up like they were having a mother's meeting.

'Oh Gaz, I'm having a barbeque at mine next Monday if you and Howard want to come. Lexi's coming on Sunday evening and I wanted her to meet you all.'

'Shouldn't be a problem Jay, but I'll let you know tomorrow when I've spoken to her indoors, ok?'

'Sorry Jay, but I'm dj'ing on Monday. It would have been great to all catch up, but maybe another time eh?' Howard replied, picking up his rucksack and throwing it over his shoulder.

Mark, Jason and Gary arranged a suitable time for them to come over on the Monday lunchtime and said their goodbyes until the following day. Jason then went and fetched his bike from outside and cycled the short distance back to his townhouse.

When he arrived back he made himself a quick omelette and phoned Lexi. He knew she was going out with Freya for a few drinks and a pizza and wanted to catch her before she left home.

She picked up the phone after a couple of rings. He explained to her that Gary and Mark were hopefully coming over on Monday lunchtime for a barbeque and would be bringing their wives too.

'Oh my god! That will be so nerve-wracking, Jase.' Lexi exclaimed down the phone, it was important to her that the lads and their wives liked her as they were such an important part of Jason's life.

'Lex, you'll be fine! I'll be there with you.' Jason replied. 'They're only human and they don't bite!'

'Ok, Ok!' Lexi laughed down the phone. 'Look, I have to go get ready to go out with Freya. I can't go out looking like a fright can I?'

'You always look pretty hot to me luv,' he replied cheekily down the phone, remembering how good she looked in her work clothes - and without them.' Ok, have a nice time and I'll speak to you tomorrow.'

'Night night, love you Jay.'

Half an hour later Lexi was ready to go out. Freya arrived a few minutes later in her little mini and they headed off into Cambridge to Don Pasquale for a pizza. It was a popular little place on the Market Square in Cambridge and made excellent pizzas.

Once they were settled at their table Lexi turned to the subject which had been bothering her over the last few days. 'Freya, have you noticed that Maria is acting really strangely?'

'How do you mean, Lex?' Freya asked, taking a sip of her coca-cola and helping herself to a breadstick which she broke in half with a satisfying snap.

'Well, she seems really moody lately. I spoke to her the other day and she was really off with me about her college assignments, which incidentally she hasn't bothered to finish. I'm really worried that she's going to fail her course and I'm going to have to sack her. The trouble is, I seem more bothered than she does about it. She seems different the last few days. She was always moody but there's more to it and I can't put my finger on what the problem is.'

Freya raised an eyebrow and took another sip of her coke. 'Y'know Lex, she's a typical teenager and moody with it. You can only do so much to help her - she has to help herself too and if in the end it means you have to let her go, she only has herself to blame. I wouldn't let it worry you.'

Lexi nodded and took a sip of her wine, just as their pizzas arrived, 'right, no more talk about work. Let's eat.'

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Freya looked up with a cheeky grin on her face. 'Lex, there's something I've been dying to know. What's Jason really like?'

'Oh, no different to me and you really when you get to know him. I didn't even know who he was when I met him. I found out when James told me. It did freak me out and I thought at first he would be just after one thing, but it shows how wrong you can be about someone. He is the sweetest, most loving man and I'm so lucky to have met him.' Lexi smiled as she remembered the time they'd spent together. She took a bite of her pizza and looked at Freya. 'Does that answer your question?'

Freya nodded. 'So is it serious? I mean, are you going to up and leave me to run the shop?' The thought filled her with horror. She didn't mind when Lexi was on holiday or a weekend off, but she didn't feel ready to do it full-time.

'Depends what you mean by serious Freya. No, I'm not planning on going anywhere, not at the moment anyway. But I am really keen on him. Don't worry you'll be one of the first to know if things change.'

Freya seemed happy with Lexi's response, picked a slice of her pizza up and started to eat it with gusto. Lexi took another sip of her wine, wondering what she would think of Gary and Mark when she met them with their partners. She was looking forward to it, as well as seeing Jason again. She didn't think it was possible to miss someone so much that she'd only known a matter of weeks.

The following morning in London, Jason was heading off to finish the photo-shoot just as the postman arrived at The Sun offices across London. He handed the post to the front desk, getting the receptionist to sign for the Registered Package it contained.

A couple of hours later Oliver noticed he'd received no post today. Phil, his mate from Cambridge had texted him on Monday morning to say that he'd got a photo he thought Oliver might be interested in, that he'd taken that weekend. He decided to go out to grab a sandwich from the deli down the road and double-check with reception whether any post had arrived.

'Any post Maddy?' He asked the receptionist.

'Yeah, Oliver this came for you,' she replied, handing over a slim manila envelope addressed to him in Phil's neat hand-writing.

'Thanks luv,' he said, taking it from her and wandering out of the building to the deli. He tore the envelope open while he walked along and the photo of Jason and Lexi fell out into his hand with a short message from Phil paper-clipped to it saying he'd taken the photo by the river in Cambridge that weekend. He'd also put that he didn't recognise the lady Jason was with, but thought maybe Oliver working for The Sun might recognise her and the photo might be useful to him.

Oliver stopped walking and studied the photo carefully. He hadn't seen the girl in this photo with Jason, but then he couldn't remember seeing Jason holding hands with many ladies in the past. He was always very careful not to get papped and because he kept a low profile he wasn't recognised very often - unlike Mark, Gary and Robbie especially.

'Hmm, she's a bit of alright!' Oliver murmered to himself, slipping the photo back in the envelope to do more digging when he got back to the office.

He was back at his desk around 10 minutes later and set about doing a bit of digging about on the internet. He bit into his Tuna & Sweetcorn sandwich, then did a bit of looking about on google, then he had a dip into the newspapers archives but to no avail. Scratching his head, he then made a call to a friend who worked for the Daily Mirror to see if he'd heard about any new women in Jason's life. He said he'd heard nothing, but if he did he'd let him know as long as he remembered he'd owe him a favour another time. Oliver replied that would be fine and he owed him one if he could help him.

So, an hour later he was no further forward. He picked up the photo and studied it again looking for clues. The photo showed no clues and in the end he had to conclude that he was stumped, wondering if maybe Lexi was even a close relative as she had similar dark colouring to Jason. He sighed and chucked the photo in his tray, thinking he'd keep an eye out for any more information on the mystery lady and Jason. Hopefully something would come up sooner rather than later and he'd be able to make use of the photo he hoped.

Then, putting the photo to the back of his mind he set about writing an article about Boyzone's latest concerts, along with an interview he'd done with them entitled:

WE'RE GOING TO BE BIGGER THAN TAKE THAT CAN EVER HOPE TO BE....

He snorted with derision at their big ideas. There was no way that was ever going to happen, but they'd insisted on that title when they granted the interview, so he'd had to go along with it.


	40. Chapter 40

A sex scene at the end of this chapter, so skip if it's not your thing.

The rest of the week past by in a flash for both of them. Jason's photo-shoot finished and they were all really pleased with the results. The photographer had allowed him to have copies of the photos and a rough draft of the interviews to show to Lexi when he saw her.

Lexi had had a busy week too. Once the sale had finished they had to do a stock-take afterwards of the clothing which was left over and put out the first delivery of autumn stock. She tried again to have another chat with Maria towards the end of the week to see how her assignments had gone and if she'd completed them, but had been met with the same sulky attitude.

The following day a customer had rang the store and complained about her rudeness when trying to return an article of clothing. She had accused the woman of having worn the outfit, despite the fact that the tickets were still attached and she had no evidence. In exasperation she called Maria back into her office and issued her with a verbal warning. The atmosphere that day in the shop had been poisonous to say the least, as Maria had walked around with a thunderous look on her face all day.

On the Sunday they finished on time and Lexi handed the spare set of door keys to one of the girls. She had bought a small case on wheels with her for the few days she was spending at Jason's house. She'd had butterflies in her stomach all day at the thought of seeing him again and also at the thought of meeting Gary, Mark and their respective partners. She quickly packed away the new dusky pink and grey halter neck top into her case that she'd bought that day from the new stock which had arrived. She'd seen it when she sorted through the new stock and straight away knew it would look good with her new dark-blue smart jeans. She decided to leave her work clothes on and head for the first available train, to be in London quicker. She figured she could get showered and changed when she got to Jason's and he wouldn't mind her turning up in her work clothes.

Once she was at Cambridge Railway station she messaged Jason to say she'd be at Kings Cross in around an hour. He immediately messaged back to say he'd be at the turnstile at the end of the platform waiting for her.

As her train pulled into the station the butterflies in her stomach increased and she couldn't wait to see him. She stepped off the train and immediately saw him standing at the turnstile, a pair of sunglasses over his eyes in an attempt to avoid people recognising him.

He threw his arms around her, kissing her soundly on the mouth. 'Lexi, I've missed you so much luv.' he said, removing his sunglasses so she could see into his deep blue eyes.

'Same here Jay!' she replied, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back like she never wanted to let him go.

He drove through the streets carefully, his hand holding hers all the way, apart from when he needed to change gear, until they pulled up outside his townhouse in Kensington. 'This is my humble abode,' he indicated with his hand towards the house, taking her suitcase from her as she struggled to pull it out of the boot and unlocked the front door for her.

Stepping over the threshold, her eyes avidly took in the house as she walked in. There was a tiled hallway with what looked like an open-plan kitchen, dining room and lounge leading off it. Jason put the suitcase down in the hallway. 'Do you want a cup of coffee?' he asked, taking hold of her hand and leading her into the kitchen. She nodded and followed him into the kitchen, taking note of how scrupulously clean and tidy everything was and how masculine everything looked. There were no nick-nacks lying around to soften the clean lines of everything. It was fascinating to see where he lived and she liked what she saw. Jason spooned coffee into a cafetiere and splashed milk into their cups, then turned to look at her.

'Come here.' he said huskily, pulling her towards him. His hands brushed the back of her neck and the tendrils of hair nestling there as he kissed her softly on the lips, his tongue sliding inside her mouth. Lexi parted her lips and kissed him softly back, her tongue teasing against his.

'Lexi, you drive me crazy!' he groaned, instantly feeling aroused from the feel of her body pressed up against him.

Lexi pulled away with regret and looked at him, 'Jason, would you mind if I had a quick shower?' she gestured towards the clothes she was wearing and he noticed she still wore her work clothes. 'I just wanted to get here as quickly as possible.,' she explained. 'I just feel really hot and sticky in this get-up. Is that alright?'

Jason nodded and picked up her suitcase by the handle. 'Come on, I'll show you where my bedroom is and the bathroom. I assume you're sharing my bed?' he raised an eyebrow cheekily and grinned a dirty grin at her.

'Nah, I was going to sleep on the sofa actually,' she teased, knowing full well that she wanted to share his bed with him.

They headed upstairs and he led her to his bedroom, which was large and airy with an antique and ornate wrought-iron bed in the middle. His bedroom wasn't as masculine as the rest of the house, but was again spotlessly clean with polished blonde coloured wooden floors and large georgian style windows, letting the light stream into the room. It was painted a delicate shade of pale yellow which made the room seem bright and airy.

He indicated to the en-suite which was through a doorway off the bedroom and fetched her a fluffy towel to use. 'Do you want that coffee now? Or would you rather have a glass of wine? he asked, suddenly looking a little unsure of himself. He'd been looking forward to the moment he could be alone with Lexi without any distractions and now that moment was here he felt a bit shy and unsure of himself.

'I'd love a glass of wine actually, Jay. Have you any white?'

Jason nodded and disappeared downstairs to the kitchen to get them a glass each. He pottered around the kitchen thinking she might be a bit hungry if she'd come straight from work. He found some crackers and cheese, putting them on a plate with some grapes and headed back upstairs.

By now her suitcase was lying half open on the bed where she'd taken her toiletry bag out, so he pushed it to one side, sitting down next to it and taking a large swallow of the wine to calm himself down. He could hear Lexi in the shower singing away, he couldn't quite work out what she was singing because she sounded so out of tune, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

A couple of minutes later he heard the shower stop and Lexi came out of the bathroom, the towel wrapped around herself and towel drying her hair with a smaller towel she'd found in the bathroom.

'That's better hun, I feel more human now,' she said, coming over to him with a smile on her face and leaning towards him to plant a small kiss on his forehead.

'Thought you might be hungry...' he said, pointing at the plate and picking up her glass of wine and handing it to her.

'Thanks. I did grab a quick bite to eat at the station and ate it on the train on the way here. But I am a little hungry I must admit.' She took a cracker off the plate, placed a piece of cheese on top and bit into it. 'Mmm, that's nice. Thanks!' she took a sip of the wine and picked up her hairbrush, brushing her hair with swift strokes until she'd got all the knots out of it.

When she'd finished brushing her hair she placed her brush on the bedside table and leant towards Jason who was sitting on the bed watching her. She placed one hand either side of his cheeks tilting his head up towards hers, as she bent downwards to kiss him. She could feel the stubble scratching beneath her fingertips and breathed in his familiar scent. He returned the kiss, enjoying the feeling of her hands on his face and her body pressed up against him, while he had his arms wound around her waist.

'So, what did you have planned for us to do tonight then?' Lexi asked, breaking the kiss and looking into Jason's eyes.

'Well, we can stay here and spend the evening in bed and you can show me how much you've missed me or we can go for a walk and maybe stop for a drink? What do you want to do luv?'

'When you put it like that I'd rather stay here.' Lexi giggled, running her fingers through his hair and down until they grazed his neck making him shiver with lust.

'Well, you won't be needing this damp towel will you?' he asked, taking his arms from around her waist and running them under the towel, slowly peeling it back from her breasts until she stood in front of him completely naked. He pulled her towards him, his hands either side of her waist as he bent his head down and began to kiss her breasts.

She helped him off with his t-shirt and then scooted under the covers, watching as Jason undressed quickly. She loved his body and the way he was totally at ease with himself. She could just make out his abs underneath his stomach and sighed with contentment and happiness, thinking how lucky she was.

He pushed the covers away and leant over her body. Slowly making his way down her body, he kissed every inch until he reached her stomach, before his tongue began to meander down to between her legs until he found the spot he was looking for.

Lexi's head tipped back in sheer ecstasy, her back arching as she gripped the edge of the bed in between her fingers. 'Jay, I love you. Don't stop...., she whispered, her voice hoarse with desire until moments later she reached the point of no return and her climax hit her like a thunderbolt through her body.

Jason moved back up her body, his tongue invading her mouth as he kissed her passionately. 'Lex, I love you too,' he murmered as his lips abruptly left hers and he began to kiss her neck and the shell of her ear. 

Lexi reached downwards to take him in her hands, her fingers touching him and making him groan aloud in her ear as her her hand applied more pressure. She liked the feelings it stirred inside her when she knew the effect she was having on him and he was clearly enjoying what she was doing.

'You're going to pay for that, young lady!' he grinned back at her, making her shiver with lust. 'I'll make you scream, and tonight I'm not going to shut you up by covering your mouth, because nobody will hear you.' He fixed her with a brooding gaze as he stood behind her. 'On your knees...' he commanded, as he took her firmly by the hips and Lexi let out a drawn out groan as they began to move together.

Later on, once they'd got their breaths back, he lifted himself off her, spooning behind her and winding his arms around her waist . 'Lex, you are bloody amazing,' he murmered, kissing her softly on the shoulder and cuddling her to him.

Lexi laid her hands on top of his where they laid around her waist and craned her neck around to look at him. 'So are you Jay. You're the best thing that happened to me.'

'And you're the best thing that happened to me, Lex,' Jason replied simply, cuddling her tighter to him.


	41. Chapter 41

9AM - Cambridge

Freya was just opening up the shop and the phone was already ringing insistently in the background. 'Can someone answer that please!' Freya called out, as she unbolted the double doors, swinging them slightly to make sure she'd unbolted them fully. She heard the phone being answered and the low murmur of Maria's voice talking to someone. She then heard the phone being banged down onto the sales counter as Maria wandered over to her, a look of thunder on her face.

'It's my tutor wanting to speak to Lexi!' she snapped at Freya, who was by now walking towards the sales counter with a quizzical look on her face.

'Can you put it through to Lexi's office?' Freya asked, guessing it was to do with Maria's unfinished assignments. She was feeling somewhat annoyed at getting a phone call first thing on a Monday morning when she had so many other things to do.

Maria transferred the phone through to Lexi's office, then quickly cast her eyes around the shop. She was satisfied to see that two of the other girls were on the shop floor. She called out that she was going out the back to the toilet and disappeared swiftly out the back. Standing at the basin, her hands gripped the cool ceramic as she wondered what she was going to say to plead her case. She knew Freya was a softer touch than Lexi and thought if she could wangle her way around Freya, then hopefully she'd back her if Lexi decided to take things further. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her greyish complexion from yet another weekend of partying hard. She thought to herself that whatever happened she would be ok. If Lexi gave her a chance and let her get away with her unfinished assignments, she decided she'd probably destroy the tape. If Lexi sacked or disciplined her she'd have to think what to do with the tape and who to pass it to. She'd make sure she was the winner in this situation, whatever happened.

She stalked back out to the front of the shop just as Freya stormed out the front too. 'Maria! Lexi's office now!'

Maria followed Freya out the back, her heart hammering in her chest. She closed the door softly behind her, knowing that she needed to get Freya on-side so she'd better behave herself.

'Your tutor says that you didn't complete all your assignments and the ones you did bother to do weren't even at an acceptable level at all. What are you playing at Maria? You do know that if you fail this course that Lexi will be under pressure by head office to get rid of you don't you? As you know, trainees are required to pass this course as part of their contract.'

Maria bowed her head, looking at the floor. 'I'm having problems doing my course-work because things aren't great at home. Every time I sit down to do it my parents start up arguing again and I can't concentrate,' she said in a quiet voice, one solitary tear rolling down her face.' It was an outright lie, but she could hardly say that it was down to her constant partying at the weekends. This meant that she was knackered during the week and too tired to complete the assignments. If truth be known, she couldn't be bothered with the assignments because the course was boring. She dragged her eyes up to meet Freya's, trying to ascertain whether Freya believed her.

Freya sat back in Lexi's chair, her arms folded in front of her. Despite Maria's very convincing acting she didn't believe a word of it. Maria had taken advantage in the past of her soft nature, such as the time she'd told Freya she needed a particular day off to attend a family funeral. Freya had swapped her day off even though she had something important planned so that Maria could attend, only to find out the week later there'd been no funeral at all. She'd bumped into Maria's mum the following week and said she was sorry to hear about their death in the family, to which her mum had replied she didn't know what Freya was talking about. It turned out that Maria had wanted the day off because she was going out partying the night before and knew she couldn't go into work badly hung-over yet again.

Freya decided there and then that Maria had used up all her chances and that she was going to discuss Maria with Lexi on her return. 'If what you say is true Maria, why didn't you tell us earlier that you were having problems at home rather than being rude to Lexi when she tried to discuss it with you last week?' she had hoped that by being sympathetic Maria might tell the truth, rather than blaming her parents which was quite obviously a lie. She was pretty sure that Maria was not only drinking heavily, but using drugs too.

Maria shrugged her shoulders, pretending to sniff back another tear, forcing her bottom lip to wobble convincingly. 'Well, Lexi didn't seem to be in any mood to listen to my reasons!' she snapped back before she could stop herself.

'Do you realise how worried Lexi is about you? Do you think she wants to sack you? Because if you're not careful, that's what she's going to have to do! You're partying lifestyle is getting out of control and is affecting your work. I'm afraid your excuse is just another of a long line of them and I've had enough of trying to help you and cover for you!'

Maria looked dispassionately at Freya, realising her one life-line was gone and that the likely outcome was going to be the sack, at best she'd get disciplinary action. She looked at Freya and shrugged a nonchalant shrug. 'I was getting bored with the coursework anyway! The course itself is tedious and unnecessary! Plus, I'm sure I can find something else which pays better money easily enough if I need to.'

'OK if that's how you feel Maria. We'll discuss this properly when Lexi comes back tomorrow and decide what would be best for everyone.' Freya replied coldly and then picked up the stock book so that Maria was in no doubt that their conversation was over.

Maria turned on her heel, as she left the office she gave Freya a look of derision. 'I'll make sure you all regret not treating me with more respect, especially Lexi, she's had it in for me ever since I started here!' Then, slamming the door behind her she disappeared.

Freya shook her head to herself. 'Whatever were those comments about?' she mused, rooting out Lexi's diary and writing her a note under Tuesday's heading at 9am to have a meeting with Maria together with herself. She couldn't understand what Maria meant about making them pay or about Lexi having it in for her. As far as she could see Lexi had been more than fair with Maria, right from the beginning.

After she left Lexi's office Maria quickly checked that the other two girls were still out at the front of the shop. Satisfied that they were and that Freya was still in Lexi's office, she swiftly went and fetched her handbag. She quickly went into the room where the video machine was, quietly closing the door behind her. She silently retrieved the video-tape from her bag, ejecting the tape already in the machine and slipping the stolen video-tape into it. She then quickly fast-forwarded it to the point where Lexi had wandered from her office to switch if off. She let it play for just a couple more minutes after she'd switched it back on to record. She could see Jason and Lexi kissing in Lexi's office. His hands slowly unbuttoning her blouse and his head dipping towards her breasts, which at that point were still covered by her bra. Maria snapped the tape off and deleted the remainder, she knew she had enough evidence on the tape up until that point for people to work out what was going on in the office. Much as she wanted to keep her job and not to have to do the course-work, she wasn't evil enough to use the tape in it's entirety to get what she wanted. In an ideal world she wouldn't need to use it and she could persuade Lexi to let her stay on, but without the boredom of having to carry on with her course. She knew just how the bosses at head office would react if they knew what Lexi had been up to in her office after hours and she also knew that the last thing Lexi would want is them seeing the tape.

+++++++++++++++++

9AM - London

Jason turned over and looked at Lexi. He could hardly believe that at long last his Lexi was laying there fast asleep in his bed. She lay on her front, the hair he loved so much spilling over her shoulders and over the edge of the bed. If he could have had a snapshot of her looking like that he would have loved one, to remember her like that forever. He couldn't quite believe they'd only known each other a matter of weeks, he felt so comfortable with her in a way he'd never felt like in any of his previous relationships.

Lexi turned over, opening her eyes she saw that Jason was gazing at her. She leant towards him, kissing him softly on the lips. 'What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?'

'There's nothing wrong,' he murmered, enjoying the kiss.'I can't quite believe that you're here actually sleeping in my bed. I was thinking to myself how much I love you, but it almost seems too perfect. I'm scared something is going to go wrong, like we don't deserve to be this happy?'

'I love you too Jay, but it can only go wrong if we let it. Why should anything go wrong? If you love me and I love you, that's all that matters. Surely we're strong enough for anything? If so, then what can go wrong?' she ran her hands through his mussed up hair, kissing a slow but steady trail of hot kisses onto his neck and down his chest before heading southwards.

An hour later she was in the shower, whilst Jason pottered around the kitchen saying he was fixing them a light breakfast to keep them going until Mark, Katrina and little Lottie arrived along with Gary and his wife Dee. Once she was finished in the shower she hurriedly dried her hair, slipping her new halter-neck top and dark-blue jeans on, hoping that she would look ok for the barbeque. Once she had applied a little light make-up she padded down to the kitchen in her bare-feet, gently pushing open the doors as she went, to peak inside the rooms. She was pleasantly surprised at how tasteful everything was - not that she expected anything else, but it gave her a further insight into the man she loved, seeing everything on his home turf as such.

'Hi gorgeous!' he said, his smile lighting up his face as he saw her slip quietly into the kitchen. 'You timed that well! I've just made you a cuppa. You look lovely' He handed her the cup of coffee and indicated in the kitchen where he kept everything. 'Sorry, I'm not a big one for crappy breakfast cereals packed with sugar. It's muesli, cornflakes, Shredded Wheat or Porridge,' he said, an apologetic smile on his face.

Lexi took the cup off him and shook her head that she didn't want any breakfast. 'You can't have nothing!' he tutted, shaking his head. 'What about a fruit salad and yogurt then?' Eventually Lexi acquiesced and helped him make up two bowls of fruit which they then took out into the garden to eat with their yogurts.

The sun was warm, the weather looked like it was going to be good for the day and suitable for their barbeque.

Once they had finished their fruit, Jason busied himself with preparing the meat and fish for the barbeque and Lexi found the salad items to make up a salad, along with bits and pieces he'd bought from the local deli to eat with it. They had Absolute Radio blaring away in the background and there was a companionable silence as they each got on with their jobs.

An hour later they were all finished. The meat and fish were marinating in the fridge and the salads were also chilling in the fridge, along with a desert which Jason had bought from the local deli too. He'd remarked to her that he wasn't exactly known for his culinary skills when it came to making deserts.

'I'm a whiz at deserts. If I'd have known I'd have made one and brought it with me!' Lexi laughed. 'My mum has taught me a few really good ones. Bailey's Tiramisu is my speciality!'

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell insistently ringing. Lexi's heart leapt into her mouth with nervousness at the thought of who was probably waiting the other side of the door.

Jason knew by the look on her face what she was feeling. Grabbing her hand he swiftly kissed her on the lips. 'Come with me to meet them Lex. You'll be fine!'


	42. Chapter 42

Jason threw the door open, a huge grin flashing across his face in greeting at the sight of Mark, Katrina and Lottie standing on his doorstep. Mark was clutching a bottle of white wine in his hands and Katrina was juggling a pot plant and a sleeping Lottie in her arms.

'Hi Jay!' Mark shouted, clapping him on the back, pulling him towards him for a bearhug. When they'd finished hugging, Jason leant over to Katrina and gave her a kiss, gazing down in awe at little Lottie dozing away contentedly in her mum's arms. It was the first time he'd really seen Lottie and he couldn't believe how tiny she looked at just six weeks old.

He ushered them inside the hall-way where Lexi was standing to one side, feeling somewhat overwhelmed at one of the most recognisible men in pop being in the same room as her. Despite the fact that she hadn't been into Take That, Mark was a more flamboyant character than Jason and had always featured in the press more, so was better known. Plus, she had liked some of his solo stuff when the group had split and even owned one of his albums - Green Man.

Katrina stepped forward with a large smile on her face, which instantly put Lexi at ease. 'Hi, you must be Alexia. I'm Katrina.'

'Call me Lexi.' Lexi kissed Katrina on the cheek, looking down at Lottie as she did so. 'So who is this then?' she asked, gazing down at the tiny baby who was still fast asleep.

'This is Lottie.' Katrina smiled at Lexi, a look on her face of deep pride at her first child as Jason carefully took the pretty pot plant off her and headed into the kitchen with it.

'She is so beautiful!' said Lexi, looking at Lottie with same kind of awe that Jason had. She loved kids and hoped that one day she'd be lucky enough to have her own when she met the right man. She hoped that man might be Jason, but it was too soon to think that far ahead at the moment.

Jason called out that they should follow him out to the kitchen where he was busying himself getting everyone drinks whilst Lexi went outside and put the pot plant on the terrace for him to plant at a later date if he wanted to.

The doorbell rang again. 'I'll go Jay!' Mark shouted and headed out to the hallway, throwing open the door to reveal Gary, his wife Dee and their twin girls Rose and Lily who were both three years old.

A couple of minutes later they were all congregated in the large kitchen chatting easily. Again, Lexi had taken an instant liking to Dee, a tall and slim brunette who had warmly hugged, her exclaiming that it was lovely to hear how happy Jason was, according to Gary. The two girls had brought their dollies along with them to show Lexi which she thought was really cute and they now sat quietly at the breakfast bar drawing pictures of fairies.

Gary had took hold of her hand, seeing that she was feeling slightly awed and instantly put her at ease by kissing her on the cheek and giving her a warm hug. 'Thank god Jason's met you Lexi. It's the happiest I've seen him in years, it's like he's a different person!' Gary exclaimed, causing Jason to blush with embarassment, protesting that he wasn't the miserable git Gary was painting him as.

An hour later their food was ready and they were all eating. The wine was flowing and Lexi felt like she'd known them all forever. She really liked Dee and Katrina and the two little girls behaved impeccably, apart from Rose complaining that her burger wasn't as good as a MacDonald's one and Lily accidentally spilling her lemonade over her - she wasn't used to drinking out of a grown up tumbler. Lexi could see Dee had her hands full when Gary wasn't around, but she seemed to take it all in her stride.

Once they'd finished their main meal they all settled back in their chairs with coffees and relaxing. 'Can I hold Lottie?' Lexi asked Katrina, who nodded that it was fine and handed her over.

Katrina quizzed Lexi about her job and how she and Jason had met. Lexi found her very easy to talk to and filled her in on her job and then proceeded to tell her about meeting Jason, him interjecting now and then where she left things out by accident. Lexi held Lottie the whole time they were talking, every now and then stealing glances at her little rosebud mouth, wispy dark hair and dark eyelashes which spent virtually the whole time closed as she slept soundly. She was the double of Mark and Lexi thought she was the most adorable baby she'd ever seen. She had offered Jason a hold of Lottie as she felt guilty holding her so long, but he'd looked at her with abject horror on his face at the thought of it. Not because he didn't like kids, but because she'd looked so delicate and he was scared of dropping her or making her cry.

They'd just finished their desert when Rose sidled over to Lexi, looking at Lottie with a mixture of curious interest and the tiniest look of jealousy that Lottie was getting all the attention.

'Do you have one of those in your tummy?' she asked, her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth

'Ermm... no I don't.' Lexi muttered, blushing bright red.'Why do you ask?'

'Well, because you're holding her so long I thought maybe you were practising for when yours comes.' Rose replied, an innocent grin on her young face.

Jason burst out laughing at Rose's theory. 'No, we just like practising at the moment.' he said in a barely audible voice in Lexi's ear, as he passed by on his way to put some plates in the kitchen.

Lexi giggled, thinking to herself how uncomplicated a three year old's mind was and smiled at her. 'No Rose, there's no baby in there at the moment. She turned to look down again at Rose who was still gazing up at her. 'Do you want to come up for a cuddle and I'll give Lottie to Uncle Jason for a hold?'

Rose nodded vigorously. Katrina had disappeared to the toilet, Gary and Mark were eating another bowlful of desert, and Dee was changing Lily's underwear as she'd had an accident and left it too late to go to the toilet. Lexi looked at Jason, her eyebrow raised at him questioningly. He tutted lightly and smiled at her. 'If I drop her I'll blame you then?' he laughed softly as he gingerly took Lottie out of Lexi's arms. Lottie wriggled a little, opening her eyes in surprise at being moved. She'd been enjoying the cuddles Lexi had been giving her.

Jason sat back down carefully, adjusting Lottie slightly so she was comfortable. She immediately wrapped her tiny hand around his big finger looking directly into his eyes with an unwavering stare, obviously thinking that actually his cuddles were ok too.

Rose immediately took the opportunity to climb onto Lexi's lap. Her small golden head of curls leaning onto Lexi's chest, her curls tickling Lexi's chin as she sucked her thumb.

She still hadn't finished on her favourite topic - babies. 'Mummy has a baby in her tummy.' she stated, with a serious expression on her face.

'Does she?' Gary asked, looking surprised. This was news to him!

'Yes, when she's had a big dinner her tummy gets bigger. Me and Lily say she has a baby in there that she's feeding.'

Gary looked relieved at her musings and realised it was a story the two girls had made up to amuse themselves.

'So, why haven't you got any babies yet?' Rose persisted, leaning back and looking seriously at Lexi.

'I'm not ready yet Rose.' Lexi explained patiently. 'Maybe when I'm older I'll have some and I hope that if I have a girl it will be as pretty as you and Lily.'

'But, but.... Jason's very old isn't he? Like my daddy! Will you have one with him before he gets too old?'

Lexi was finding it very hard not to laugh at Rose's comments, whilst Jason and Gary sat there looking aghast at being described as old.

Luckily for Jason and Lexi just at that moment Dee swept behind them trailing Lily behind her. 'Is she on her favourite subject again - she's obsessed with babies?'

Lexi nodded that she was and regaled Dee with the story that Rose had thought her mummy was having a baby, much to Gary's consternation. Dee laughed, 'they're both dying for a brother or sister for them to mother. Trouble is, they want one each. I don't think I could cope with more double trouble!'

Jason handed Lottie back to Katrina.'I'll go fetch those drafts and photos from the last shoot we did,' he called over his shoulder as he disappeared back into the house. He'd promised he'd show them to Lexi earlier in the week and had just remembered he had them. He also thought that Katrina and Dee might like to see them.

He was back a few moments later waving the sheaf of papers as he came back out. He was glad to see Lexi deep in conversation with Gary about their reunion plans. He waited a few minutes until they'd finished talking about how Robbie was working so hard at making it work and how he was crossing the Atlantic constantly and now that he was over the jitters he was really committed. Lexi was fascinated listening to the logistics of how they were making it work.

Jason spread out the interview, which Lexi picked up and read avidly. She was interested to see what each of them had to say in it about each other, before she passed it on to Dee. Dee started laughing at Robbie referring to Gary as "The Captain". 'He knows you very well Gaz,' she said affectionately, squeezing his cheek at the same time. 'You're a bossy so and so when it suits you.'

'Oi you!' he shouted, pretending to be annoyed. He gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek, then admitted with a grin, 'yeah, you're probably right about me there.'

Once Katrina had had a quick read, Jason spread out stills of them all on the shoot. They all looked really good in their black leather jackets and dark trousers. The photographer had done a good job and they looked like they'd been having a ball at the shoot.

Katrina was staring at the photo of Mark. 'Bloody hell Markie, you don't dress up for me like that!'

'I do dress smartly for you hun, but look what happened the last time!' he indicated jokily towards Lottie, who by now was sleep in a moses basket next to the table.

Dee looked equally impressed at the photo of Gary. Lexi couldn't take her eyes off Jason. He didn't look like "her" Jason at all. She could see why the girls fancied them all when they looked like that. She was tempted to pick up the magazine and fan herself down with it.

'My husband's sexier than your's....' Dee quipped at Katrina, then turned to look at Lexi 'And yours!'

There was silence around the table as Dee clapped her hand to her mouth, thinking she'd made a faux pas. Jason raised an eyebrow and looked at Lexi with a small smile on his face.

'Oops! I meant your boyfriend.' Dee muttered, trying to salvage what she'd said.

Lexi laughed. 'No problem, it's an easy slip of the tongue.' Dee instantly relaxed and gave Lexi a pat on the arm of companionship.

All too soon it was starting to get chilly and Rose and Lily were getting bored. They'd had enough adult company for the day and it was nearly bath-time, so Gary and Dee regretfully said they'd better get the girls home.

'It was really lovely to meet you Lexi and I hope we can maybe meet up again soon.' Dee said, kissing Lexi on the cheek and hugging Jason with affection.

Gary hugged them both, before lifting the two girls up for a hug and kiss too as they were clamouring around his legs for one as they felt left out.

As Jason let them out, Mark and Katrina appeared with Lottie saying that they ought to make a move too, both embracing Lexi and Jason goodbye.

They then went into the kitchen to clear up. 'Come on Mrs Orange! Get washing and I'll wipe.' He said, teasing her about Dee's slip of the tongue for which he earned a slap from Lexi on the back-side with a tea-towel. They cleared up quickly, discussing how the day had gone. Lexi felt relieved that she'd loved them all and she thought they'd liked her too - at least it seemed that way.

Jason looked at her, knowing what was going through her mind. He put the tea-towel down, walking up behind her at the sink and putting his arms around her waist, nuzzling his lips into the back of her neck. She shivered as she felt his stubble scrape softly at the nape of her neck, his breath warm in the back of her hair.

'They loved you.' He murmered happily, breathing in her familiar scent. 'Just like I do!'

'And I loved them.' She stated simply, smiling down and looking at the soapsuds sitting in the sink. She hoped that when she met Howard and Robbie she'd like them just as much.


	43. Chapter 43

'So what time do you have to go back home Lex?' Jason asked. They had finished the washing up and were now tidying up the empty wine bottles still sitting on the table out in the garden.

'Well, there's a train which leaves at 7.15am and arrives into Cambridge just after 8am. That'll give me time to drive to the shop and get parked.' Lexi replied, her heart feeling heavy at the thought of leaving Jason again. But at least it was only until Friday when they went up to Manchester for Jason's party.

'So, an early night tonight then?' Jason asked waggling an eyebrow at Lexi, making her laugh.

'Looks like it!' she replied, waggling an eyebrow back at him knowing exactly what he was on about.

The following morning Lexi was awake at 5.30am, her stomach churning. She glanced over at Jason and saw he was awake too.

'Can't sleep? she asked, leaning across to kiss him.

Jason shook his head. 'No, I've been awake since about 5am just thinking.'

'What about?'

'Nothing really. Just about what I'm doing with the lads this week and hoping it'll all go to plan.

He wound his arm around her, pulling her towards him so her head lay against his shoulder and explained how they were going back into the studio to re-mix their first single from the album. The automatic choice from them all had been The Flood, as it pushed Robbie to the fore-front and made sure everyone knew he was now part of the group again. They just needed to shorten it slightly and possibly re-mix it for radio play.

'So that's tomorrow isn't it?' Lexi asked, shifting slightly so she was more comfortable nestled against him.

'Yeah, we've got to wait for Rob and Doug to get back. They're both back later today so we'll meet up at the studio late morning. So actually I have today free. How about I drive you back to Cambridge?' he looked down at Lexi wanting to stretch out as much time as possible with her.

'Really Jase, you don't have to do that. I'm more than capable of getting the train.' she re-assured him, even though she quite liked the idea of him dropping her off.

'No Lex. I want to.'

Eventually after a little persuasion she acquiesced to his suggestion. If truth be known she was actually quite pleased to get a little extra time with him.

They lay there for another 45 minutes chatting about his birthday plans and who was attending. All the lads had said they were attending and the majority of his family. Josh had been invaluable in helping arrange it, which he'd offered to do because of the amount of time Jason had to spend in London. They'd been in touch constantly by e-mail and phone and he trusted Josh implicitly to get it right.

'So what time are we going on Friday then?' Lexi asked, already thinking ahead about clothes what to take with her.

Jason ran his hands through his hair in thought. 'How about I come and pick you up from work on Thursday evening and then drive up Friday morning. Do you think your parents would mind me staying at yours for the night?'

Lexi's heart lifted at the thought that it would only be two days until she saw him again. She shook her head saying that of course her parents would be fine with it. 'Will you have the time if you have to go to the studio and sort out the single?'

'Yeah. It'll take a day, maybe until lunchtime on Thursday at the very latest. Gaz will probably have worked it all out anyway, he's that bloomin organised. We'll probably end up just sitting and listening and being happy with his suggestion anyway. He's a genius for that kind of thing, unlike me.' Jason shrugged in a manner which suggested he wasn't bothered, but Lexi knew by the way his eyes looked a little sad that he envied Gary's songwriting abilities.

She lifted her hand up to his face, stroking the stubble which was poking through noting how he was wrinkling his forehead up in thought. 'Jason, you may not have as much song-writing input, but you and Howard do a lot of melodies. They couldn't do it without you and you know it. You're a team and you're all equals and don't ever forget that. I can tell by the way Mark and Gary were interacting with you yesterday they feel the same way. You're a major cog in the wheel that is Take That.'

He lifted his hand, running his thumb across her cheek, mirroring what she had done to his face a minute or so earlier. 'Lexi, I love you. You're good for me luv. You stop me thinking constantly that I don't measure up to the rest of the lads.'

She leant across, kissing him softly on the lips looking regretfully at the clock. 'I think I'd better get up or we're going to be late.'

A couple of hours later Jason had dropped Lexi off and was on his way home saying he'd see her in a couple of days. She let herself in the shop to find Freya already there with the news about Maria's tutor ringing her and the subsequent conversation she'd had with Maria. Lexi decided to firstly ring the tutor, followed by personnel before she had any kind of conversation with Maria. She needed to find out just where they stood legally before she made any rash decisions.

At 9am she rang Maria's tutor to find out his thoughts on her work and attitude at college. He explained to Lexi that despite the fact that he knew Lexi and Freya had been chivvying her along, her coursework which she completed at home was either not to standard, late or not done at all in the last few weeks. He said he'd tried to speak to Maria but her attitude was so bad that he felt it was time that Lexi knew what was going on.

'I honestly feel that I will have to fail her if she carries on in this manner,' he explained apologetically to Lexi.

Lexi put the phone down and she rested her chin in the palm of her hand, wondering whether it would just be easier to sack Maria and be done with it. There was a soft knock at the door and Freya poked her head around the door, a cup of coffee in each hand. Lexi motioned her in, quickly explaining to Freya what the tutor had said to her. Freya shook her head in amazement that Maria's partying had made such a mess of her college course.

Lexi picked up the phone again and had a quick chat with Ella the Personnel Manager who had told her what she could and couldn't do. Basically she said to Lexi that she couldn't sack her outright, but needed to advise her that if she failed the course there was definitely no job at the end of it. She said the furthest she could go was with a verbal warning for attitude and laziness.

Lexi swiftly explained to Freya what Ella had said and asked her to go and fetch Maria for her.

A couple of minutes later they both re-appeared. She indicated for Freya to leave the room and for Maria to sit down, noticing that despite her confident swagger as she came in the room, Maria's hands were shaking. She told her what the tutor had said to her and that he suspected that she was going to fail her course.

'But I hate the course Lexi and it's so boring.' Maria muttered, glowering at Lexi.

'Well, we all have to do things we sometimes don't want to Maria. It's the only way to get taken on by the company as you're a trainee. If you don't pass, there's no job at the end of it. You knew that when we took you on didn't you?'

Maria nodded, mutely looking at her feet and trying to work out what to say in reply. There were a couple of minutes silence while she tried out a couple of replies for size in her head.

'Well, what have you got to say for yourself?' Lexi asked in an exasperated tone. She was getting heartily pissed off with Maria with her crummy attitude, laziness and rudeness.

Maria hesitated for a minute. 'So, I take it there's no way around it? Can I not stay here and learn on the job and forget about the college course?'

'You're joking aren't you? When you are here you're either hung-over,yawning your head off or being rude to customers! Give me one good reason why I should even consider doing that? Because I sure as hell can't think of one!'

Maria made up her mind. She'd had enough. She didn't need this lousy job or the hassle she got with it. She'd be better off working for Tescos or something similar and she was sure they wouldn't pressure her like they did here to do stupid assignments.

'D'ya know what Lexi? You can fuck off and stick this job up your arse! I don't need this shit!' She stood up, glowering at Lexi who sat there with her mouth open in surprise at the mouthful she'd just given her.'

'If you walk out Maria you won't get a reference. Then how will you get another job?'

'I don't give a shit about a reference. It won't be that hard to find another job - well, that's if I decide to go for one. I have a plan and I won't need any money for a while anyway.'

To her credit, Lexi had by now recovered with the surprise at Maria's outburst. 'What do you mean by that?'

'Like I'm going to tell you, you snotty cow!' Maria hissed. 'But don't worry you'll be one of the first to know when I've made the money! Believe me, you'll wish you'd been more supportive by the time I've finished with you!'

'Maria, what exactly are you getting at?'

'Let me ask you something then. Are you really, really sure you want me to walk out Lexi? I know something that is potentially explosive about you and your popstar boyfriend and I'm not afraid to use it!'

Lexi's heart dropped momentarily wondering what she meant. Then it dawned on her what Maria meant. 'So you think you can blackmail me into somehow keeping you on without you fulfilling your side of the bargain and doing your course-work. Well, I can tell you Maria that you might as well go now because it's hardly earth-shattering news that I'm with Jason. It's only a matter of time before it's public knowledge anyway. After all, we have nothing to hide.'

Maria smirked, picking up her mobile phone and bag. 'That's what you think Lexi. You'll wish you'd tried just that bit harder to do what I'm asking.' Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she then walked out of the office, slamming the door behind her without so much as a backward glance.

Lexi sat back in her chair wondering what the hell all that was about and thinking that Maria was just trying to blackmail her into letting her have her own way, by threatening to give the press her name. That wasn't going to happen. She wasn't going to let some seventeen year old bully her and she didn't care if the press knew her name - little did she know that Maria had something a lot more explosive in her possession.

Maria walked to the park and ride, her legs shaking. She felt so angry she could have hit Lexi. Well, she could have done if she didn't feel so rough from the grass she'd smoked the night before which had made her sick all night. Alcohol, grass and cigarettes didn't mix very well that was for sure she realised. She was actually dreading going home and telling her parents that she'd walked out of the only half-decent job she'd had since leaving school.

Once she was home she knew she needed to do something with the tape. She had to go through with her threat or in her mind Lexi would have won and that couldn't happen. She suddenly had a brainwave how she could work this to her advantage. She switched on her PC and looked up the phone number for The Sun news stories department on their website.

She rang the telephone number, firstly making sure she with-held her number. She quickly rehearsed in her head what she was going to say. Oliver happened to answer the phone and she immediately caught his attention.

'Hi, I have some information that might be of interest to you. Jason Orange is having a 40th birthday party this Saturday night. I happen to know he has a new girlfriend that so far he's managed to keep out of the press. All I know is it's going to be in one of the top hotels in Manchester and she's going to be there. I am also in possession of something which potentially would be of great interest to you, very great interest. I will ring you after the party so you can get your photos of her, when you find out where the party is. That will give you time to think about a sum of money in exchange for this material.'

'What sort of material have you got concerning Jason?' Oliver asked, his curiosity piqued - it wasn't often a story just fell into his lap like this, especially concerning the most elusive member of the band.

'It's something you'll want to see. Trust me.' Maria replied, smiling at her own cleverness. ' I'll ring you after the party to discuss the money,' she then rang off, before he could ask any more questions.

Oliver replaced the receiver, scratching his chin. It was bound to be some nutter he mused, but he'd had no inkling that Jason was having a birthday party so that was interesting. There was no harm in doing a bit more digging around now that he'd been handed this information on a plate. It couldn't be that difficult to find out firstly where the party was and then lie in wait to get their photos. He'd then see if this nutter rang back and see if she came up with the information that she reckoned was so important. He bit into his sandwich thinking about where to start first, there were a lot of posh hotels in Manchester.

'Very interesting....' he muttered to himself. 'Wonder whether she really has something. Well if she has, then I might have got myself a little scoop here.'


	44. Chapter 44

Oliver spent the rest of the afternoon trying to work out which hotel Jason's birthday party was going to be at. He'd started systematically ringing around the hotels, one by one on the pretext that he needed to arrange a group booking at short notice due to a funeral. So far all the hotels seemed to think they may be able to accommodate them which surprised him so he was pretty sure he'd not found the right one yet.

Eventually he hit pay-dirt as he reached his sixth hotel on the list. The receptionist at The Lowry said that unfortunately they already had a very large booking who'd booked the whole hotel, so they couldn't accept his booking. Oliver's ears immediately pricked up, so he gently probed further asking her if he needed any rooms for the following night after the funeral, would they have space? She replied that yes it would be possible, as it was only one night that the party were taking over the whole hotel. Oliver thought to himself that he had nothing to lose and asked: 'Oh, is it a wedding then?' He couldn't believe his luck when the stupid girl replied that no, it was for a 40th birthday party. He politely thanked her and assured her that he would be sure to contact them if they needed any rooms after the funeral.

Oliver put the phone down, mouthing a silent "yessss" to himself. That had been easier than he'd thought it would be. He immediately rang his mate Phil down at Cambridge who had sent him the original photos of Jason and Lexi from by the River Cam. He felt that one good turn deserved another so would give him first refusal on the photos.

Phil was over the moon at being offered the opportunity and agreed readily, they agreed that Oliver would pick Phil up en-route and they would travel together. Meanwhile, Oliver decided to renew his search to try to find any whispers on the web about this mystery woman of Jason's. After an hour he had to give it up as a bad job, he could find no gossip about this mystery lady, nor could he even find out her name.

The next few days passed in a blur for both Lexi and Jason they were both so busy. Lexi was busy because they were one staff member down due to Maria walking out. She'd just had a chance to fill Debs, her Area Manager in on what had taken place and Debs had promised to get personnel onto the job of advertising for a new member of staff soon.

She had gone with Freya for a quick drink after work on Wednesday evening and they'd discussed Maria. Lexi filling her in on the mysterious comments Maria had made to her in the office. Freya was just as mystified too. 'I think she was just trying to put the frighteners on you Lex. Good job you didn't let her get away with it, vindictive little cow!'

Jason had spent a pleasant day after dropping Lexi back in Cambridge. He'd spoken at length to Josh finalising plans for the party. 'I've sorted Lexi's little surprise, Josh. It's all arranged. Hope she's not cross with me.'

'Jay, how could she be cross? She'll be over the moon mate!'

They arranged an approximate time that Jason hoped to arrive at his flat in Manchester with Lexi. Josh said he'd meet them there using Jason's spare flat key so they could go over what had been sorted for the following evening. 'I'll get you some food in if you e-mail me a list and a stir-fry on the go.' He offered, knowing that the last thing Jason would want to do was cook when he got there.

'Thanks mate. I owe you big time!' Jason replied, thinking how lucky he was to have such a great brother.

On the Wednesday theyhad all met up at the studio together and as Jason had predicted Gary had already been working on the radio edit of The Flood. They all agreed that it sounded brilliant and didn't really need any major changes, just a couple of tweaks here and there.

'So Gaz, what was this girl like that Jay's enamoured with? Louise, is that her name?' Robbie asked, dipping a chocolate penguin into a cup of tea and nibbling on it. 'Bet she was a bit of alright knowing Jay's discerning taste in women.'

'Fuck off Rob!' Jason replied, overhearing their conversation and laughing at Robbie's description of his tastes. 'It's Lexi, not Louise you dimwit!'

'Well I'm not just saying this coz Jay's earwigging, but she was a stunner. I mean not only in looks, but she was a lovely girl with it. Our Rose especially fell in love with her.' Gary replied, both he and Dee had thought she was lovely and just the type of person who was right for Jason.

'Yeah, she was really nice.' Mark agreed, wandering over to join in the conversation. 'Lexi and Katrina got on like a house on fire. You'd just better hope Lottie didn't make her too broody Jay or you're gonna be in big trouble. By the way, Katrina said she'll contact Lexi sometime if you give me her number. She was blathering on about shopping and girly things.'

Jason grinned. He was really pleased that Gary and Mark liked her. It meant a lot to him that two of his closest friends approved of her.

Gary looked at Jason with a sly grin, 'just watch our Dougie with her, she's just his type. His eyes will be on stalks when he cops an eyeful of her.'

'Oi, what's that you're saying about me?' Howard interrupted. He'd been outside having a crafty fag and just caught the tail end of their conversation, which sounded very interesting to him.

'I was just telling our Jay to keep his eye on you when you cop an eyeful of Lexi.' Gary replied, sniggering and rubbing his hands together like a little boy.

Howard smiled, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. 'I dunno about her being gorgeous but I think she's probably got a screw loose to put up with his OCD and all his other funny ways.' The comment earnt him a sly punch on the arm from Jason in mock indignation.

By the end of the day the lads were happy with the finished article. They all agreed that The Flood sounded awesome and they couldn't wait to hear the public's reaction to the song. Once they'd finished up they all went their separate ways, making plans to see each other on the Saturday night at Jason's party.

Jason drove up to Cambridge late on Thursday afternoon. He drove straight into the town centre, parking in the space behind Lexi's shop and went for a quick wander around the town centre stopping off at Hotel Chocolat to buy Lexi some of her favourite mini chocolate slabs which he knew she loved with a passion, and to get a box of chocolates for Freya as a thank you for swapping her weekend off.

Wandering into the shop his eyes darted around the shop floor looking for Lexi. The shop was quiet as it usually was towards the tail-end of the shopping day. There was one lone female shopper scanning the rails with a look of concentration on her face, typical of a woman on a mission. A look of triumph flashed across her face as she obviously found something she liked. Clutching the dress to her chest she went to head for the changing room banging into Jason as she went. The look of surprise which crossed her face at banging into someone she recognised from her celeb magazines made him smile to himself. She headed off to the changing room an incredulous look on her face, as she looked behind her once more to see if she'd been imagining banging into him.

Jason wandered over to the till where Freya was just cashing up and placed the Hotel Chocolat bag on the counter. 'Is Lexi around, Freya?'

'She's out the back Jason, in her office. You timed it just right. She suddenly decided an hour ago that the dress she'd got for your do just wasn't suitable and has just got back from Coast I think. She must have found something because she came in like a cat who'd got the cream!' She giggled looking at him and thinking how lucky Lexi was to be going out with someone who was so gorgeous looking, with a smile which she bet had broken a few girls hearts in the past.

'Oh, Freya I got this box of chocolates for you luv as a thank you for swapping your weekend off, so Lexi could come,' he delved into the green bag, drawing out a large box of chocolates and handing them to her with a heart-melting grin.

'Thanks, that's really kind of you but you didn't have to get me these!' Freya said, pausing from counting the takings and looking at him thinking to herself once more how lucky Lexi was to have such a thoughtful boyfriend.

Jason gave Freya a final mega-watt smile and then headed out the back to find Lexi. He found her tidying up and getting her stuff together ready to go home. She looked up as he entered the room, ' hello you!' she shouted out, looking really pleased to see him again. She was across the room in an instant, her arms going around his neck and pulling him towards her for a kiss.

He kissed her deeply, loving the feeling of her pressed up against him like she had been made just for him. They fitted together like a glove he mused, as his arms went around her waist for a cuddle closer.

'Bloody hell I've missed you Lex,' he groaned into her hair. 'It's torture every time we're apart,' he pulled back, handing her the bag of chocolate slabs and grinning at her like an indulgent parent buying sweets for their child. 'Your favourite I believe?'

'Mmm, yeah Jay. Thanks. Better leave them at home this weekend though, as I have a slinky little number in this bag and I don't want any lumps and bumps,' she laughed, indicating towards the Coast bag in the corner.

'Oh, I can think of ways to burn off those extra calories!' he put his arms back around her waist, pinching her bottom cheekily in the process, making her giggle and exclaim that he should behave himself.

When they got home an hour later Joe, Anna and James were not at home. Lexi explained that they had gone away for the weekend taking her Nanna Daisy with them.

'Oh, where have they gone?' Jason asked, his face a picture of innocence.

'Chester I think mum said.' Lexi replied, opening the fridge door to see what goodies it contained to cook for dinner. She quickly found some salad items in the crisper drawer at the bottom and set about chopping some cucumber.

'Do you like Spanish omelette?' Jason asked her, looking around for some eggs. Lexi nodded that she did and he started cracking eggs into a bowl and chopping new potatoes into small cubes, tossing them into a pan to soften before he mixed the eggs in.

Twenty minutes later they had cobbled together a pleasant dinner and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Jason opened a bottle of wine to have with dinner, pouring the wine into glasses he looked at her with a smile on his face.'We make a good team don't we luv?'

She nodded in agreement giving him a quick peck on the lips. 'D'ya know I love the bones of you Mr Orange?'

He tucked a lock of her hair which had come loose from her plait behind her ear and nodded back at her,' I feel the same way about you. I can't wait for my family to meet you.'

+++++++++++++

Meanwhile, Oliver and Phil were on their way to Manchester. They had booked into the Premier Inn nearest to The Lowry and had hatched a plan for the following day to attempt to get into the party. The plan was going to be that they would turn up at the hotel and try to charm the receptionist by pretending that Jason had booked the pair of them as "official photographers". They were then hoping that they could just melt into the crowd who were attending somehow, and Jason wouldn't notice them. Oliver filled Phil in on the strange conversation he'd had with Maria earlier that week.

'She sounds a nutter to me!' Phil said, thinking only someone with a serious grudge would ring up like that.

'That's my thinking. But I'll see what she's got when she rings me next week and take it from there.'

'Sounds like a good idea.' Phil agreed. 'I think it'll be just some gold-digger or jealous ex-girlfriend who can't bear the thought that he's got someone new.'

'Well, we shall see....' Oliver muttered. 'At the moment we'll just see if we can get some photos of drunk celebrities tomorrow night. Hopefully the same dim receptionist will be on duty tomorrow who was on when I rang, then we can get some decent photos. Plus, we need to concentrate on finding out who this mystery woman is and if it's serious. If we can get some photos of them together it'll be a real coup. I can't remember the last time Jason appeared in the press with a girlfriend!'


	45. Chapter 45

Jason and Lexi arrived in Manchester late on Friday afternoon. They'd set off late morning and got caught up in traffic jams on both the A14 near Huntingdon, a notoriously bad stretch of road and then again on the M6. They stopped half-way for a quick coffee and a snack, but it was still a long journey. They eventually drew up outside of his flat and Lexi was feeling relieved to be there at long last. She got out of the car, stretching her legs which were feeling decidedly cramped from being inside the car so long. Jason lifted her suitcase out of the boot, throwing his suit carrier over his arm he took her hand.

Lexi was pleasantly surprised by the flat when she got inside. It was large and airy, again with very few nick-nacks lying around like the house in London. It was a typical bachelor pad but was tastefully decorated in a pallette of soft beige and brown shades mostly. It had a large roof terrace with patio furniture and lots of plants and fantastic views over Manchester and the canal. 'Wow! This is lovely.' Lexi breathed, wandering out onto the balcony and taking in the view.

There was a clattering sound coming from the kitchen area and when Lexi wandered into the kitchen Josh was there pottering about putting shopping away.

'Oh hi!' he said. 'I didn't hear you and Jay come in. You been here long?'

'No, we just got here Josh. How are you?' she stepped forward to greet him, putting her arms around him and giving him an affectionate peck on the cheek. She remembered how good Josh had been to her when Jason had had to go home early from Greece and at the time she'd really appreciated both his and Ben's friendship.

'I'm fine thanks Lexi. You're looking really good luv,' he looked her up and down, noticing the sparkle in her eye which had been absent in the last few days of their holiday. 'Being with my big brother obviously agrees with you!'

'What's that about me?' Jason asked, suddenly appearing at the kitchen door to see who Lexi was talking to. He threw his arms around Josh grabbing him in a big bear hug. 'Hello little 'un how are you?'

Josh nodded that he was fine and continued unpacking the shopping, indicating to Jason to flick the kettle on and make a cuppa whilst Lexi unpacked her clothes.

Jason showed Lexi to his bedroom so she could unpack. She wandered around the huge bedroom with it's Georgian sash windows, reading the titles of some of the thick leather bound books neatly arranged on the floor to ceiling bookshelves on one side of the room. The room was in the same warm muted shades that the rest of the flat was decorated in, with a kingsize sleigh bed dominating the room. To one side was a huge shower room tiled from floor to ceiling in grey granite tiles. It was a wet room in style, with a huge shower and double sinks and was large enough top fit an entire family in there.

Wandering back into the bedroom, she opened the suitcase which Jason had thoughtfully put on the bed. She carefully took everything out of her suitcase, hanging up her precious new dress, still in it's special cellophane wrapping that the assistant in Coast had put it in. Normally she would have bought a dress from her own shop, in fact she had, but it just didn't feel right. She'd happened to walk past the new Coast shop and saw the dress in the window. It was normally more than she would spend on a dress, but she'd tried it on and it looked like it had been made especially for her and she couldn't resist.

She went back into the kitchen to find Josh and Jason deep in conversation about the plans for the following evening. Josh dished up their dinner and they sat down to eat. The conversation flowed all evening and by the end Lexi could see why Jason trusted Josh with helping to plan his party and also why he'd entrusted Josh in keeping an eye on her in Greece when he'd left. He was a really great bloke and a safe pair of hands to leave in charge of things.

After they'd had dinner Josh stayed for a while, chatting to the two of them over a bottle of wine before heading back home - he still had a couple of phone calls to make about the following days party he said.

Jason and Lexi finished another bottle of wine before heading to bed, both of them exhausted from both the long drive up there and their hectic weeks at work.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

The following morning Oliver and Phil headed out just after lunch to find The Lowry. It didn't take them long to find it and Oliver said they should both go in and speak to the receptionist.

As they got to the desk he sincerely hoped that the young, attractive lady there was the same one he'd spoken to on the phone. She turned to look appraisingly at Oliver as they walked up to the desk. 'Hello Sir, can I help you?'

'Ah, hello errrmmmm Sally,' he said, glancing at her name badge and giving her a big smile. 'Wer'e the photographers for tonight.' He made a grand gesture of patting his pockets to look for ID, producing photo ID with a flourish whilst making sure he kept his thumb over the company name on it which said The Sun.

Sally looked confused, she'd spoken to Josh on a number of occasions and he'd never mentioned any photographers for the evening, but it made sense that if it was a party and he had a lot of important guests coming then of course he would possibly have employed a photographer or two.

'Let me just find the list of people attending,' she muttered, casting her eyes over the desk. She knew she'd seen it somewhere but now couldn't seem to see it. Oliver had already spotted the list on the top of the desk and discreetly put his bag on top of it. She spent the next five minutes looking around and eventually gave up with a shrug.

'Let me just take your names,' she wrote them down on a scrap of paper. 'Just go through if you want. The party is in the ballroom behind me,' she said, waving a hand in the direction of the room where the party was being held just past the reception.

'Thanks Sally!' he said, giving her another smile and heading towards the room. Josh was already there and had made a start on some of the decorations. As Jason had let him take charge he'd also used it to his advantage and hung pictures all over the walls of Jason as a child. There were pictures of him dressed as the Incredible Hulk, a Cowboy, Luke Skywalker and with his first teenage girlfriend when he was sixteen, plus various family photos. Phil was just taking out his camera to get a few photos when Josh appeared quietly behind him.

'Who the bloody hell are you two?' They both spun around, guilt written all over their faces. Josh knew straight away that they were paps when he saw Phil clutching his camera to him. ' Which newspaper are you from? Come on, out with it! I know you're paps!' he stood looking at them, a furious expression on his face with his arms crossed waiting for an answer.

In the end Oliver came clean. 'I'm from The Sun,' he admitted with a guilty looking smile. 'Look, we were hoping for some photos that was all.'

'Well, you know Jason isn't someone who likes paps so you'll be bloody lucky!' he went to usher the two of them out through the double doors, just as Jason and Lexi came through the front hotel doors. Phil went to pick up his camera to take a photo. 'Don't you even think about it!' Josh hissed through gritted teeth. Phil let his camera drop, still attached to the strap around his neck like a hot potato.

'Who's this then?' Jason asked, coming over to where the three men stood in the ballroom doorway and shooting Oliver and Phil a filthy look.

'It's the paps!' Josh said, rolling his eyes at Jason and Lexi.

'Look mate,' Oliver said, trying to appeal to Jason's better nature.'Someone told us you're having a party here. Looks like they were right. All we want is a photo of you and this lovely young lady here.'

Jason snorted with derision. 'Like I'm going to let that happen! You're just a bunch of cretins who want to make a quick buck, that's all!'

Oliver had the good grace to look a little uncomfortable. 'Yeah Jason, I know we all don't have the best reputation, but it's going to come out in the end if you've got a girlfriend. You can't hide her away forever can you?'

Lexi was looking on with interest. She knew the paparazzi didn't have a particularly good reputation, but she couldn't see the harm in one photo. 'Jase, can I have a word?' he looked curiously at her, wondering what she wanted to say. She motioned to him to walk out of ear-shot with her so she could discreetly speak to him. He followed her over to the reception desk where Sally stood discreetly shuffling papers, feeling somewhat embarassed at being hoodwinked by Oliver and Phil.

'Jay, why not just let them have one photo? If that's all they want, why not? If we throw them out they'll make it their mission to follow us around until they get one anyway.' Jason looked at her like she'd got a screw loose, but slowly nodded like he understood what she was getting at. 'Are you ashamed of me?' she asked him softly.

He looked at her with incredulity. 'Whatever makes you say that? I love you and I can't wait for my parents and family to meet you! Of course I'm not ashamed of you!' he said re-assuringly, hardly able to believe she could even think anything like that.

Lexi smiled and kissed him on the mouth. 'Just checking if that's why you don't want to be photographed with me,' she knew that he wasn't ashamed of her, but she wanted to make a point that he couldn't hide her away forever and keep her a secret from the press.

'OK, you win!' he conceded with a sigh. 'You are very persuasive when you set your mind to it aren't you?'

He walked slowly back to Oliver and Phil. 'Good job she's here lads. Come back at 8pm and you can have a photo of us and if the lads agree you can have one of them - then you piss off. Ok?'

Oliver looked gratefully at Lexi, giving her a small smile of thanks. 'You're on! Thanks very much for that.'

Jason made to enter the ballroom to see what Josh had been up to but Josh stopped him. 'As I've been left pretty much in charge, you're not seeing what I've been doing in here,' he quickly pulled the double doors shut behind him, standing in front and holding the door handles so neither of them could get inside to see. 'Just trust me Jay. I think you'll love it mate.'

Jason moaned with annoyance, but he could see that Josh meant what he said by the expression on his face. He turned away punching the caterers number into his phone, just to check they were on track to get the buffet delivered in time, which they said they were. Jason had no idea what sort of cake Josh had ordered as he'd told Jason he was taking care of that. Knowing Josh's sense of humour it would be a naked lady or something similar, Jason mused to himself.

'Jay, just bugger off home mate. It's all in hand here, you and Lexi go and get your glad-rags on' Josh waved them out of the way.

After checking with Sally that she had a copy of the guest-list to give to the security who would be on the door Jason decided they might as well go back and get changed. Luckily Sally had located the list which Oliver had put his bag on. He told her that he'd agreed Phil and Oliver could come in and take a few photos and she made a note on her list, feeling sheephish that she'd just sent them through to the ballroom by mistake.

When they got home the sun was out and as they had an hour or so to kill they went out onto the balcony. Jason found a bottle of champagne Josh had put to chill in the fridge which he opened, taking two flutes out onto the balcony where Lexi was already sunning herself in the late-afternoon sun, a gift-wrapped package sitting beside her.

She looked up as Jason appeared on the balcony with their drinks. 'This is for you Jase,' she handed him the small package, looking momentarily embarassed in case he didn't like his birthday present. 'Happy Birthday.'

He smiled a huge smile at her, hurriedly ripping the paper off the small box. 'Wow! They're gorgeous....' Inside the box lay a pair of small, square cufflinks made from white-gold with the smallest diamond in one corner of each. 'They'll go great with the suit I'm wearing tonight. Thank you so much Lexi. I love them!'

Jason took hold of her hand, his fingers stroking her up-turned palm. 'You wore the bracelet I got you then?' he kissed the tips of her fingers making her shiver as he turned her palm to admire the bracelet he'd chosen for her in Greece.

She nodded, a wistful smile on her face as she recalled their fantastic holiday. 'It's beautiful Jay. I couldn't have chosen better myself,' she leant forward, kissing him on the lips tasting the champagne which he'd just drunk. He returned the kiss, his fingers stroking up behind her neck to draw her closer to him.

Eventually they drew apart and Jason looked regretfully at his watch. 'Bugger Lexi, much as I hate to stop. We ought to start getting ready. You go first and I'll have a shower after. He took a deep swallow of the champagne, refilling both glasses and handed Lexi her glass back to take into the bathroom with her.

She quickly showered, washing her hair and de-fuzzing under her arms and her legs. By the time she was finished the bathroom was steamed up from the amount of time she'd spent in there. She called out to Jason that she was done and he went in.

'Did you do this?' He asked as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, about to shave. She poked her head around the door and nodded, a big grin passing across her face. In the steamy mirror she'd written the message:

"I LOVE YOU MR O!

LEXI XX"

He leant around the door giving her a quick kiss as the sink filled with water. 'Love you too my darling,' he didn't touch the message, wondering whether it would reappear again when the bathroom became steamed up the next time. He sort of wanted it to stay there forever.

Lexi was drying her hair into dark waves around her shoulders when he came back into the room, a towel slung around his hips. He smiled over at her glad she was wearing her hair just how he liked it. She then began to systematically curl her hair, one section at a time, until her hair was beautifully curled into loose corkscrew curls. Once her hair was finished, she started to apply her make-up, her towel still wrapped around her. Jason bent down, kissing her on her shoulder and inhaling the scent he'd first smelt in Greece. He began to get dressed into a smart suit he had bought especially for the occasion with a waistcoat underneath and a bright blue tie which set off the blue in his eyes. The final touch were the cufflinks Lexi had bought him.

While he dressed in his suit, Lexi had disappeared into the bathroom to put on some pretty white underwear she'd bought from La Perla, slipping the new dress on over the top. She smiled to herself thinking she was glad she'd bought it as it was gorgeous and she hoped he liked it too..... Plus the underwear she was wearing underneath would be an added surprise for later, she grinned to herself.

Jason turned around as he heard the bathroom door open, his breath caught in his throat. There she stood, looking shyly at him, the most beautiful he'd ever seen her look, rendering him speechless. Her hair hung silkily around her shoulders, skimming the top of the dress sleeves which were like the leaves of small flowers. She was wearing the necklace and bracelet he had bought her and small diamond stud earrings. The dress itself was white with delicate embroidery and cutwork flowers ending just above her knees and set off the remains of her Greek tan. She'd finished it off with delicate silver heeled sandals. Jason stood there gob-smacked, unsure what to say.

She raised her eyebrows. 'I take it I look ok then?'

Jason nodded, a huge smile flashing across his face. 'God yes Lexi. You look stunning!'

'Right, lets go then,' she said decisively, taking his hand in hers. 'You have a party to go to....'


	46. Chapter 46

Lexi's heart was thumping like the clappers as the taxi drew up outside The Lowry. Her palms felt damp and her mouth dry at the thought of meeting Jason's parents Steve and Pat, his youngest brother Seb, an assortment of cousins and whoever else had been invited of his extended family. Her head was spinning at the amount of family members Jason's seemed to contain, from what he'd told her about them.

Jason glanced over at Lexi, seeing how apprehensive she looked and picked up her hand giving it a small squeeze of support. 'You'll be fine Lex, they'll love you. Just like I do,' she smiled a small smile back at him, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist.

All too soon the taxi pulled up outside the hotel and the two of them got out. Jason was grateful that it looked like Oliver and Phil hadn't tipped off any other paps about the party, so they managed to get through the front doors of the hotel without being spotted.

Oliver and Phil were lounging against the reception desk waiting for Jason and Lexi to arrive. The other lads had already arrived with their prospective partners and had been gracious enough to grant the two of them exclusive photos. Oliver had explained to them that Jason had said they could take a photo if they were all ok with it. Josh was speaking to the receptionist on duty that night and had nodded to the lads that yes, Jason was aware that Oliver and Phil were there.

Oliver dug Phil in the ribs, 'Aye up lad, the birthday boy's arrived!' he stage-whispered into Phil's ear.

Lexi and Jason walked over to the pair of them, Jason raising an eyebrow quizzically at them. 'Well, are you ready to take a quick photo?'

Phil nodded, inspecting his camera to make sure that it was set up correctly and then indicated where he wanted them to stand. Satisfied that the shot was in focus he took a couple of photos, nodding once he'd checked it that he was happy with the finished article.

Oliver knew he needed to get some information to go with the photo so he quickly flipped open his notepad, retrieving a pen from his pocket. He correctly guessed that Lexi would be more open than Jason, just from that quick conversation earlier in the day in the lobby, so he decided to direct the questions to her:

'So, how long have you known each other then? Ermm... sorry you haven't even told us your name luv.'

'Around six weeks and it's Lexi.

'How did you meet?'

'On holiday in Greece, but I don't want to say where exactly. We might go back someday and I don't want you following us there.' she laughed nervously.

''Have you met the rest of the lads yet?'

Before she had a chance to answer, Jason grabbed hold of her hand pulling her away from Oliver's prying quetions. 'Yes, she's met Gaz and Mark so far. She's meeting Rob and Howard tonight. You've met the lovely lady already, so you can guess that Mark and Gaz loved her. Right, you've got your photos and a little bit of information, piss off and let us enjoy our night ok?'

Oliver nodded. 'Thanks for the photos and answering a couple of questions. Enjoy your night!' he leant forward, shaking Jason's hand. He could see Jason's attention had already wandered as he was discussing the catering with Josh, so he took the opportunity to thank her properly. 'Thank you Lexi, I really appreciate you persuading Jason to let us have some photos. Especially since we drove a long way to get them. He's a lucky man.' he leant forward, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

Jason turned to look at Lexi, winding an arm protectively around her waist. 'Right, you ready?'

She nodded and took a deep breath, which steadied her nerves a little and they walked through the doors. The room was beautiful with lights strung along the ceiling and around the enlarged photos of Jason which Josh had pilfered from their parents house. As they walked through the room a great cheer rang out and Lexi could see that everyone looked like they were clapping.

Jason smiled a beaming grin, happy to see so many familiar faces in the room. He waved at the odd person here and there, spotting the lads all sitting together on a table to the side of the room as they came in. His gaze scanned the room as he looked for his parents and his youngest brother, eventually coming to rest in the middle of the room as he spotted his mum. 'This way.' he said, pointing towards them. 'My parents are over here,' his parents stood up, making their way across the room to meet them.

'Hi mum, dad, I want you to meet Lexi. My girlfriend. Lexi this is my mum Pat and my dad Steve,' he said. A proud grin lit up his face as Pat folded Lexi into her arms for a big hug. He knew Lexi and his parents would get on like a house on fire.

'Lexi, I'm so pleased to meet you. Jason has talked non-stop about you every time he rings us,' she looked appraisingly at Lexi and immediately liked what she saw. 'Come on, come and sit with us and tell us all about yourself,' she turned, patting an empty seat at the table next to them. Lexi quickly gave Steve a peck on the cheek murmuring that she was pleased to meet him and sat down. Jason disappeared off, saying he was going to speak to the lads knowing that it would give Lexi a chance to get to know his parents.

When Jason came back he was pleased to see that Lexi was deep in conversation with his parents and his brother Seb had joined them. They were all laughing and he noticed his dad had poured them all a glass of wine. ' Lex, sorry to disturb you but there's someone else you need to meet,' he grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her up out of the chair and dragging her across the dancefloor.

'Oh!' Lexi squeaked. Her parents, brother and Nanna were sitting there with broad smiles on their faces. 'What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Chester!' she smacked her palm on her forehead. 'Oh silly me! Manchester!' she laughed out loud that they'd probably been planning this since his visit to Cambridge. She was really pleased to see them there and it meant a lot that Jason had taken the trouble to invite people to his party who he knew would make her feel more comfortable. She had a very quick chat with them, finishing off her glass of wine which Jason went and refilled, before coming over and telling her that Howard and Robbie wanted to meet her too.

'Lexi's head started to spin with all the unfamiliar faces and she looked a bit panicked at the thought of meeting yet more people, and famous people at that.

Jason took her hand, realising what was going on in her head. He grabbed Nanna Daisy with the other hand. 'Come on Daisy, seeing as I wasn't your ultimate fantasy of a toy-boy I'll take you to meet your real fantasy, shall I?' he winked at Daisy and helped her up. Slowly the three of them crossed the room until they reached the remaining members of Take That and their prospective partners.

'Gaz, this is Daisy. Lexi's nan. Unfortunately I'm not her type, but you are!' he laughed and pushed Daisy forward to meet Gary and his wife. He was amused to see that Daisy was speechless for just a minute and smiled to himself. Gary was his usual polite self and took her hand giving it a kiss, motioning for her to sit down next to him and Dee. Lexi looked over to see Daisy was looking very much at home flirting with Gary, whilst Dee sat giggling to herself at Daisy's behaviour. It always made her laugh to herself when little old ladies either wanted to mother him or make mad passionate love to her gorgeous husband. At this moment in time she wasn't too sure which category Daisy fitted into.

Jason grinned. He knew Daisy would be busy chatting up Gary and knowing what a little minx she was she'd probably make a start on Mark next. Howard and Robbie who were sitting opposite Gary and Dee looked on in amusement at Daisy flirting away. Jason took hold of Lexi's hand again and took her around to their side of the table. 'Lex, this is Howard and this is Robbie.' Both of them stood up, briefly kissing Lexi and politely saying it was nice to meet her. Robbie put his arm around Tina drawing her forward to meet Lexi too.

'Sit down.' Tina said, patting the chair next to hers. She topped up Lexi's wine glass for her and fixed her with a big smile. 'So, I've heard snippets about you from Rob. Tell me all about yourself luv.' Lexi sat down next to Tina, giving her a quick run-down on what she did, where she lived and a little info.

Howard looked at Jason with a dirty grin on his face. 'Bloody hell Jay! When Gaz and Mark said she was a looker I didn't realise they meant she looked like that! She's a bit of alright but far too good for you,' he gestured towards Lexi, his gaze raking up and down her shapely legs where her dress had slightly ridden up her thighs.

'Don't even bloody think about it Howard!' Jason laughed. He knew Howard well enough to know he was a dirty sod, but he did have enough scruples not to hit on one of his best mates partners. Plus, he already had a gorgeous girlfriend Stacey. He looked around for Stacey, Howard's girlfriend. 'So where's Stacey?'

'Oh, nipped to the loo, she'll be back in a mo.'

When Stacey came back she sat down on the other side of Lexi. Dee and Katrina dragged their chairs across and they sat chinwagging away for all they were worth. Jason looked over at the women and was pleased to see that Lexi was getting on well with them. He liked all the lads partners and it looked like Lexi felt the same way.

By 9 o'clock the party was in full swing and the caterers had brought the food out. It was a magnificent spread of Chinese dim sum, wontons, chicken satay, sandwiches, salads and various delicious Chinese, Indian and Mediterranean snacks.

Before they ate, Josh stood up on the dance-floor with a microphone to ask everyone for quiet.

'Right, I'm going to make a speech! As all of you know I helped arrange this little shindig. I hope you don't mind me putting these photos of you as a youngster everywhere Jay. I hope Lexi here doesn't see what bad taste in clothes you had and make a quick exit!' he turned and looked at Jason and Lexi, winking an eye at them both.

Josh gestured to the caterers and they came out of the kitchen with Jason's birthday cake which was lit up with 40 candles. On it were five figures made from icing playing musical instruments and singing into microphones. They were quite obviously the 5 lads and were very intricately made so you could tell which one was which.

Jason laughed, shaking his head at the cake which was now in front of him with it's candles ablaze. The whole room started singing Happy Birthday and Lexi could see Jason was looking a bit overwhelmed, so she put her hand in his giving it a small squeeze. When they'd finished singing he blew out the candles and took the microphone from Josh.

'Thanks everyone for coming. It's lovely to see so many of you who are my nearest and dearest here tonight. For those of you wondering who this gorgeous lady here is, well her name's Lexi and I'll try to get round to speaking to you all and introduce her to each of you,' he smiled a huge grin, which showed his pride in having her standing next to him and led her over to one of the tables where some of his cousins were seated together with Josh so that she could meet them.

After the food was finished the lights were switched off and the guests were treated to a small show from the 5 lads. They sang The Flood and Happy Now from their new album, then Greatest Day, Shine and Never Forget. Robbie joining in with them all for the whole set. Lexi had never felt prouder of Jason as he stood there with his four best friends, obviously in his element with all his friends and family around him.

After they had finished their set Howard then took over and did a DJ set for the party. Everyone was up dancing and enjoying themselves. Lexi held out her hand; 'come on and dance with me.' Jason didn't need any pushing, he grabbed her hand and followed her out onto the dancefloor. They spent the next hour dancing together and Lexi was pleased that her dancing wasn't too shoddy compared to Jason, who was a natural.

Daisy by now was dancing with Robbie, and was enjoying herself immensely. Joe and Anna were talking to Jason's parents Pat and Steve and seemed to be getting on immensely and James was actually behaving himself for a change, chatting to Gary about his songwriting. Gary had offered to let James come down to the studio the next time they were recording so he could see what they did, which James was very impressed with. He was slowly starting to realise that they weren't just a "Boyband" as he'd thought initially, but five talented musicians and songwriters who were credible.

Jason looked around the room checking that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. 'Come on, we'll disappear outside into the gardens. It's so hot in here and I want to cool down a bit,' he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Once they were out in the gardens Lexi took a deep breath and breathed in the heady perfumed scent of the flowers. It was still pleasantly warm and there was a thin sliver of the moon lying in the inky black sky, which was lit up with a sprinkling of stars.

Jason suddenly stopped and picked one of the roses, handing it to her as he knew that she loved roses. 'Enjoying yourself?'

'Yes. Your family are lovely. Everyone's been so kind to me and your mum and dad seem really nice.'

'Mum has been dying to meet you Lex, seeing as I've been talking non-stop about you since we met everytime I ring her.'

'So, you quite like me then Jase?' Lexi replied with a shy grin on her face, at the thought of him talking about her to his mum. She was wondering what he'd said about her

'Lexi, I more than "quite like" you. You should know by now that I love you more than I've ever loved any other woman. I just want to be with you all the time. Every time I look at you I want you. Does that explain how I feel?'

She nodded, looking up to him in the twilight, 'that's the way I feel about you too Jay.'

He raised his hand stroking his thumb across her cheek with affection, then he moved his hand to her neck lightly to touch it, playing with the tendrils of her hair which laid there. Stepping forward he softly kissing her on the lips, his tongue slipping inside and teasing her tongue. She returned the kiss softly moaning at the feelings he was arousing.

Eventually he pulled away with a rueful smile.' I suppose we'd better go in and enjoy the rest of the party before I get carried away and make love to you out here in the garden, eh?'

Lexi leant forward and gave him one final kiss. 'Save it for later, if you're sober enough!' she teased, as she took his hand in hers and led him back into the ballroom.


	47. Chapter 47

Scenes of a sexual content in the 1st half - so if it's not your thing, don't read x

The party carried on past midnight and gradually people started to drift off home or for those staying at the hotel, up to bed. By one o'clock Lexi was struggling to keep awake she was so tired. They said goodbye to the last stragglers and then went outside to check if the taxi had arrived, which reception had ordered for them.

The taxi drew up and they slid into the back. 'Did you enjoy yourself then?' Lexi asked him, picking up his hand and stroking his knuckles with her soft fingers.

'Mmm...' he nodded, his head lolling back onto the seat rest in contentment. He closed his eyes and his face relaxed into a happy smile. Lexi gazed at him thinking how gorgeous he looked with his long, dark eyelashes closed and stubble starting to poke through. She swivelled slightly on the leather seat and ran her fingers along his cheek causing him to open his eyes lazily and stare at her. She leant forward, kissing him lightly on the lips, inhaling his familiar scent.

'Just you wait 'til I get you home,' she murmered, her mouth moving against his.

'No. Just you wait 'til I get you home,' he whispered back, running his hand lightly up her leg until he reached the top of her legs.

'Jay, stop,' she pleaded with very little conviction. 'Wait until we're home. You don't want us on the front page of The Sun do you?'

Jason pulled away thinking at that moment he didn't really care. He'd had a fair bit to drink and his usual sensible head just wanted her no matter where. He tried to ignore the erection in his trousers and think of something else, anything else that took his mind off it for the time being if that was possible. 'So, did you enjoy yourself?'

Lexi nodded, thinking fondly of his parents and then her thoughts turning to the lads and their partners. 'I did. Yes. Your parents and brothers are lovely and I liked Rob, Howard and their partners too. I swapped mobile numbers with Katrina and Dee. We're planning a girly lunch maybe sometime in London when you and the lads are busy.'

'Good idea.' Jason yawned a huge yawn and rubbed his eyes, thinking to himself that hopefully they could have a lie-in in the morning. 'Oh, by the way... mum invited us over for dinner tomorrow,' she said she wants to get to know you better. Is that ok?'

'Yeah great!' Lexi replied, wondering where the nearest supermarket to Jason's house was so she could get his mum some flowers.

The taxi drew up outside the entrance to Jason's flat. He gave the taxi-driver his fare plus a tip and they turned and walked into the entrance of the flats after bidding him goodnight.

They walked into the lift and as the doors slammed shut he pushed her up against the mirror his hands all over her. His hot breath was on her neck as he trailed kisses all over it, feeling her shiver beneath his lips as his hand hitched the skirt of her dress up and roamed once more towards her knickers. There was a loud ping as the lift shuddered to a stop at their floor. Jason peeled himself off Lexi, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door of his flat while he feverishly searched in his trouser pockets for his doorkeys.

The door swung open and Jason resumed kissing Lexi as he kicked the door shut with his foot. 'Calm down Jase'. Lexi murmered, feeling him kissing her with more urgency. She pulled away and looked at him, raising her eyebrow at him suggestively over her shoulder

She took off her jacket, hanging it up and took his to do the same. Taking hold of his hand she led him through to the lounge area and pushed him down onto the cream leather sofa. 'Right, are you ready for your other birthday present, birthday boy?' she asked, a big grin on her face as she stood in front of him in her new dress.

Jason looked momentarily surprised wondering what the other present was, until he caught the look on her face and realised what she meant. All thoughts of being tired disappeared from his head. She stepped forward until she was standing between his legs as he sat back on the sofa. He immediately shuffled forward on the sofa, his hands grasping her hips through her dress tightly.

She knelt down and took his face in her hands, kissing him hard and stroking the stubble on his cheeks. 'Do you want me Jay?' she whispered into his ear.

He nodded, 'of course I want you Lex. I always want you.'

She turned around so she had her back to him. 'Will you undo the zip on my dress?' she had her head bent forward in front of him as she knelt down still between his legs. He leant forward and kissed the back of her neck, raining kisses up to the back of her ears where he could smell the perfume he loved her wearing. He slowly undid the zip at the back of her dress, her lightly tanned back appearing as he gently pushed the sleeves of the dress over her shoulders. He kissed the skin on her back where the gap in her dress was, his fingers softly stroking the skin there making her shiver with lust.

He felt her pull away from him and looked up at her. Lexi was by now standing in front of him in her bare feet with the dress sleeves pushed down over her shoulders. 'I hope you like your extra birthday present,' she whispered, pushing the sleeves down her arms until the top of her dress was around her waist.

Jason was by now sitting forward on the sofa, his mouth slightly hanging open wondering what she was going to do next. He desperately wanted to just rip the dress off the rest off her body, but he was enjoying watching her undress herself too. She put her fingers under the folds of the dress around her waist, pushing it over her waist and hips until it fell to the floor in a heap which she pushed aside with her foot.

He made to stand up and Lexi shoved him back down onto the sofa. She knelt down again between his legs and took his hand in hers, moving it to her bra to touch her nipples. 'Mmm... nice underwear' he said, his eyes raking her up and down. 'Is it new?'

'Yep! I bought it when I bought the dress. I thought you would appreciate it,' she smiled at him suggestively.

'Oh I do....' he muttered under his breath. His fingers pulling the lacy fabric down, softly touching her nipples which made her moan with pleasure. 

She reached around and undid the bra, letting it fall to the floor, then in just her knickers she got up and sat down on his lap facing him, her breasts pressed up against him as she undid the buttons of his shirt and untied his tie. She threw them on the pile along with her dress and bra and paused to kiss him on the mouth, her tongue tasting the inside of his mouth and dancing a tango with his tongue.

She slid off his lap and knelt back down between his legs. She rapidly undid his belt, and in one swift move his trousers and boxer shorts had joined the ever-growing pile of clothes. She dipped back up to his mouth for one more kiss, then started to kiss and lick a trail over his nipples and stomach to the line of hair leading downwards until she reached what she was looking for and took him deep in her mouth. 

'Stop Lex, I can't take much more', he whispered hoarsely, as he took hold of her hand and pushed her gently onto the sofa, until she was laying back with her head resting on the armrest. He leant over her as he kissed her hard on the lips, his fingers slipping under her head and tangling in her hair.

Movimg downwards, he slowly took her nipple in his mouth, biting softly and smiling to himself as she gasped. He carried on downwards until he reached her stomach which he trailed with hot kisses until he reached between her legs. Her hand moved down to the nape of his neck, stroking his hair on his neck, playing with the short, soft hairs at the nape of his neck as he brought her to an orgasm.

'Please Jay. Now!'

'What do you want Lex?'

'Fuck me, now!'

He took hold of her hands by the wrists and held them over her head as he nudged her legs apart. Lexi was wriggling furiously trying to lift her hips upwards, she wanted him so badly.

'Please Jay.... Please....' she whimpered.Don't tease me anymore...'

He looked straight at her, pulling her towards him as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as they moved together in unison, eyes gazing at each other whilst they did so.

He tried to think about anything, but what was actually happening - Manchester City scoring a home goal, their album getting the number one spot, anything to make this bloody fantastic feeling last longer as Lexi's moans grew louder and her eyes were closed in ecstasy as she tipped her head back and her orgasm ran through her body, pulling him along with her in blessed relief.

++++++++++++

Phil had processed the photos and was very happy with them. The photos of Jason and Lexi especially had come out really well. The problem was they were no nearer really to finding out exactly who she was, apart from the fact that they'd met in Greece and her name was Lexi. That was about it. They weren't even sure where she was actually from or what she did for a living.

'So, how are you going to find out who she is Oliver? We'll look a bit silly putting their photo in the paper still not sure who she is exactly,' he looked at Oliver expectantly, hoping that Oliver had some grand master plan up his sleeve.

Oliver looked at Phil shrugging. 'Does it matter who she is?'

Phil looked back at Oliver. 'Well it helps to know just a bit more about her if we're writing an article which she's in Olly.'

'Oh I have an idea of how to find out who she is - just you wait and see. I know what I'm doing with this story Phil. Don't you worry your head about it......' Oliver replied, a mysterious smile darting across his face.


	48. Chapter 48

Lexi woke up at around 10am to find Jason's side of the bed still warm, but empty. She stretched out in the bed, smiling to herself as she thought about the previous night. Her legs ached slightly which she guessed was from the dancing the night before and also from their exertions on the sofa. She shuffled onto her side feeling her stomach cramp slightly as she did so. Sighing a deep sigh, she knew what that meant. Her period had come early and at a most inconvenient time. Ever since she'd switched to the contraceptive implant in her arm her periods were all over the place and often painful. They were never at the correct time each month, sometimes early or sometimes late and the first month she had the implant nothing at all. It was seriously starting to annoy her. Luckily she didn't get the mood swings or bad headaches that plagued Freya sometimes who had the same implant.

She quickly went into the bathroom taking a tampon with her in case her suspicion was correct and was annoyed to find that she'd been right.

Once she had finished in the bathroom she slid back into bed, wondering whether Jason was coming back up so they might have a cuddle up. She looked up as the door opened and Jason walked into the room carrying a tray on which he had placed a bowl of cereal, toast and a cup off coffee. 'Morning gorgeous!' he said, placing the tray next to her on the bed and drawing back the curtains so the sunshine poured into the room.

'Morning,' she replied, sitting up and grimacing slightly as another cramp rippled through her stomach.

'You ok, luv?' he came over and sat next to her on the bed, a worried expression on his face.

'Yeah Jay. Liverpool's playing at home it seems,' she sighed and picked up his hand, looping her fingers through his.

'Eh? What's that then?' he had never heard that expression used before and was confused because he didn't think Lexi was into football.

She explained to him what she meant. This was the first time she'd had a period since they had met as luckily it had always seemed to be timed when she wasn't with him.

'Is that all?' he replied, kissing her on the forehead. 'Lucky for us it wasn't yesterday,' he laughed, stroking her hair and cuddling her affectionately.

'Yeah, my stomach's a bit sore but I should be right as rain once I've got a couple of painkillers down me,' she reached into her handbag, retrieving a couple of Anadin Extras and swallowing them down with the coffee, before attacking her breakfast. 'Thanks for breakfast Jase,' she said, swallowing a piece of toast and looking at him as he pulled his t-shirt off.

'No problem luv. Just going to jump in the shower. I said we'd be at mum's around one-ish is that ok?'

She nodded in agreement, finishing her breakfast and huddled back under the covers to attempt to snatch a few more minutes shut-eye.

+++++++++++

Oliver had been busy for a few hours after the party, putting the finishing touches to the article about Jason's party. He was pleased with the results and the photos Phil had taken had come out very well. He wrote up the article in their hotel room on his laptop, attaching the photos onto the finished article. He sat back and looked at the final result with a smile on his face. He pressed the send button sending it to his boss to have put in the paper the following day, knowing he'd just made the deadline for the print. His boss had wanted to get the article in Sunday's edition of The Sun as there was nothing much going on in the news at the moment. The party was the most newsworthy story at the moment, so he was going to put it on the front page.

He sat back, rubbing his chin and hoped that this article might shed some more light on who Lexi was. He had a funny feeling after speaking to Maria that whatever she reckoned she had, it wasn't going to be something particularly of interest. She just sounded like a nutter, but he conceded if it turned out she had something interesting after all then he would make use of it.

++++++++++++++++++++

Lexi and Jason were ready to go to his parents by 1pm. Lexi had put on her smart jeans and halter neck top she'd bought a few weeks earlier. The Anadin had kicked in and Lexi was feeling a bit more human even though her stomach still felt a little tender.

'You look nice.' Jason said to her as she came out of the bedroom clipping a pair of pearl earrings in. He kissed her affectionately on the cheek noticing that she'd plaited her hair back and looked really pretty.

'Thanks Jay. Oh, I need to stop at the supermarket to get your mum some flowers and maybe your dad a bottle of wine. I also need to get some tampons, I wasn't expecting to need any until the end of the week,' she sighed, a wan smile crossing her face.

'No problem. There's a Morrison's just around the corner, we'll stop there. I'll come in and help you with the wine. Dad's a bit particular about his red wine.'

They drew up outside the supermarket and parked up. Jason took her hand as they went into the entrance. Normally Jason didn't bother getting a newspaper and if he did he never bought the tabloid ones, but something made him glance over to the stand holding the Sunday newspapers. He couldn't believe his eyes at what was on the front page of the Sun newspaper. 'What the fuck...' he exclaimed, not even managing to finish his sentence.

Lexi swivelled her eyes in the direction of the newspaper stand to see what had made Jason shout out loud. There in huge letters were the words:

WHO IS JASON ORANGE'S LATEST SQUEEZE?

Lexi burst out laughing at the choice of headline. 'You've got to admit Jase, it is quite funny.' she snorted loudly, covering her mouth with her hand at the sight of his furious expression.

'How dare they!'

'Well I guess as we weren't giving much information away they decided to try and find out another way all about me. You've got to admit it's quite clever.'

'No, it's not. It's invading our privacy. We kindly let them take the photos and this is how they re-pay us. I'm going to sue them!

'No you're not Jason. Don't be so silly. What will they find out? All they'll find out is where I work and who I work for. That'll be it and then they'll get bored and find something else to move onto. There's obviously not much in the news right now for that article to make the front pages,' she picked up the paper, shoving it in the basket along with a pretty bunch of pinks and roses.

'Why are you buying it, Lex?' he looked at her, his expression incredulous as he asked the question.

'I've never been in the paper before,' she giggled. 'Let alone the front page, it's a novelty. I want to check he's got the rest of the facts right.'

'Well, that novelty will soon wear off!' he huffed, pulling her off to the red wine section, still in a temper.

Back in Cambridge, Freya had seen the newspaper too and giggled at the sight of one of her closest friends on the front page of the newspaper. 'Jesus Lex, ' she muttered. 'Jason will hardly be over the moon when he sees that!' she picked up the paper to read at home, thinking that they both made a lovely looking couple.

On the other side of Cambridge a young man went into WHSmith and headed over to the newspaper section to buy a couple of newspapers to read while he ate breakfast in the little deli-cafe nearby. 'What the fuck is MY Lexi doing on the front page of the paper with that pretty boy?' he said, a livid expression passing across his face in shock.

They arrived at Jason's parents' house the other side of Manchester just in time for lunch. Pat exclaimed over the flowers, thanking Lexi profusely for choosing such pretty flowers for her. Jason thrust the bottle at his dad and wandered into the kitchen with a face like thunder. 'What's got into him?' Pat asked Lexi, giving her a quick peck on the cheek and putting her arm through Lexi's to lead her into the kitchen while she put the kettle on to boil.

Lexi explained quietly to Pat about the newspaper article and that Jason had seen red about it. She told her about what the headline had said and the general gist of what they'd written.

Jason stood looking outside at their back garden, a muscle working away in his cheek as he chewed at his bottom lip in anger as he mulled over what was in the article.

Pat went over to Jason, turning him around to face her. 'Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You let them take your photos, right?' Jason nodded mutinously, not meeting Pat's eyes, his expression unreadable. 'But all you told them was her name and where you met. Is that correct?' he nodded again, starting to feel a bit stupid because he knew what she was going to say - he always did know what she was going to say, because she knew him so well.

'Well the only thing I can see that they've done is to try to find out a bit more about Lexi as you haven't been exactly forthcoming with that information have you. They're paps for god sake! You can't feed them just snippets that meet your approval, that's not how they work. Jason, snap out of it and grow up!'

'Ok, ok....' Jason sighed, knowing he was beaten. 'I s'pose the worst they can do is find out her whole name and maybe where she works.'

'Exactly Jason!' Lexi interjected, relieved that Jason seemed to have calmed down and was listening to reason.

Pat looked at Lexi and gave her a small smile. 'Come on, I'll make us both a cup of coffee while dinner finishes cooking,' she led her into the conservatory and they both sat down in the chairs. 'I take it you've seen Jason in this kind of mood before?' she asked Lexi, looking around to make sure that Jason had disappeared out into the garden with Steve, who wanted to show him how the roses were doing.

'No I haven't and it was a bit of a surprise I must admit. He's always been fairly calm and level-headed since we met.'

Pat looked at her and patted her hand softly as they looked out at the men in the garden. 'Just don't take any of that crap off him and you'll be fine darling. He's a lovely lad but he does go off the deep end when he feels threatened. I'm telling you this because I know he's crazy about you and I want this to work out for you both.'

'Thanks Pat, I really appreciate it.' Lexi put her arm around Pat giving her an affectionate hug. 'I won't take any crap don't worry.'

A couple of minutes later the men came back in from the garden. Jason obviously having got over his little tantrum as he was laughing at a joke his dad had been telling him.

Pat disappeared into the kitchen to dish up the dinner leaving Steve to sort out drinks and chat with Lexi and Jason.

They spent the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening with Jason's parents, joined by Seb half-way through the afternoon when he arrived back from playing a 5-a-side match at the local park with his football team. Lexi found him to be a pleasant lad who was obsessed with football and girls - a bit like her own brother.

They left early in the evening, just as the sun was setting. It had been a pleasant afternoon with lots of banter between Jason and Seb especially. It was obvious that they got on well despite the age gap and Lexi had enjoyed herself immensely.

Jason made them both a cup of tea when they arrived home and they went out onto his little balcony overlooking the city. The lights were just starting to come on in front of them and it made a beautiful backdrop.

'So, did you enjoy yourself?' he asked her, nuzzling into her neck as they both lounged on the swing seat. She was stretched out on it with him laying cuddled up behind her.

'Yeah, it was lovely. I really like your family.'

'They really liked you too. My mum's especially taken with you. It makes a change her having a girl around the place what with the glut of males in our family. Even the bloomin' dog's male, ' he said, referring to their Golden Retriever Morris.

Lexi smiled, looking up to Jason who lay tucked up behind her with one leg slung carelessly over hers as they rocked in the twilight. He looked so contented, she didn't want the moment to end.

She laid her hand on his leg feeling his thigh muscles move and contract as she gently rocked the seat with it. 'Jay I love you so very much y'know.'

'I know. I love you so very much too. In fact, I've been doing a lot of thinking about how I feel over the last few weeks and though it scares the living daylights out of me to feel this way about you, it also scares the living daylights out of me the thought of being without you too. Do you understand what I mean Lex?'

She nodded. 'I think I do. I have a ache deep inside when you're not with me and only being back with you seems to fix it. It's a slightly scarey feeling as I've never felt that way about anyone,' she thought back to Michael and the other casual boyfriends she'd had and knew that what she'd felt about them was nothing compared to how she felt about Jason.

He cuddled her closer to him, inhaling her scent to try and capture it in his mind forever. He cleared his throat and thought to himself he might as well tell her what was on his mind. 'Lexi, I know this is all incredibly fast, but would you consider moving to London to live with me?


	49. Chapter 49

Lexi sat up, her warm body lifting off Jason as he lolled back on the seat, a shy smile on his face as he waited for her answer. She turned around to look at him, her mouth wide open in shock. She desperately wanted to be with Jason and he'd said he felt the same way, but she hadn't been expecting him to ask her to move in with him - not so soon anyway.

'For god's sake say something Lex,' he whispered, taking hold of her hand in his and kissing the tips of her fingers. 'Is the thought of living with me so bad?'

Lexi suddenly found her voice. 'Ermmm, I just wasn't expecting that! I'm gobsmacked that's all,' she turned the idea over for a minute in her head feeling excited at the thought of being with him on a more permanent basis. She turned to face Jason, winding her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly on the lips. 'Yes, I'd love to move in with you Jase. I can think of nothing I'd like more.'

He smiled broadly at her, his teeth sparkling in the twilight. 'That's great luv. How long until you reckon you could come down?' he felt relieved that she'd said yes and if truth be told, he was over the moon that she'd agreed.

'Well, I'll have to apply for a transfer or I'll leave if there isn't a transfer available. So I guess it'll be in around a month,' she replied, kissing him on the lips. 'It doesn't have to be a Manager's job I'd take something lower if it means I can get to be with you sooner.'

They lay there for another hour excitedly discussing plans for her move to London until Lexi stretched and yawned. 'Jay, I'm going to bed. I'm tired and my stomach's killing me,' she could feel her stomach throbbing and it was making her feel sick.

He looked at her, concern washing over his face. 'Are you ok?'

'Yeah, yeah,' she waved his concerns away. 'It's nothing major. I'll be ok in the morning, it's often like this when I have a period,' she leant over to plant a kiss on his lips and got up to go to bed. As she padded through the house, an overwhelming wave of nausea passed through her and she just made it to the bathroom in time as she retched over and over until there was nothing left in her stomach.

Jason lay there for a minute or so longer on the seat oblivious to Lexi being ill behind the closed bathroom door, a smile played on his lips that she'd agreed to move in with him. He got up and went in the kitchen to make a hot drink. Softly opening the bedroom door, he put his cup of tea on the bedside table and glanced across at Lexi who was scrunched up under the covers on her side. He noticed her face was chalky white and was concerned as he'd never seen her look that pale before. He quickly undressed, got into bed and quietly moved up to cuddle her.

She felt him shuffle up behind her in the bed, his hand softly stroking her aching belly. 'Will this help?'

She looked over her shoulder at him and saw he was holding a hot water bottle in his other hand and nodded in amazement that he could be so thoughtful. He pulled her closer to him him so that he could hold the warmth against her stomach, as he softly stroked her neck with his other hand until she fell fast asleep.

+++++++

The following morning the telephone rang at Oliver's desk at 9am on the dot. 'Must be the nutter,' he muttered to himself and picked up the phone.

'Hello is that Oliver?'

'Speaking....'

'I'm the person who rang last week. I saw the article over the weekend and I know exactly who Lexi is if you want to know. I also still have in my possession the article I mentioned if you're interested?'

'Can I ask your name?'

'Maria, Maria Flynn. I worked with Lexi. Well, I did until last week.'

Oliver rolled his eyes silently thinking to himself that yes, it was a nutter and a nutter with a grudge. 'So what do you have that you think I want?' he asked, his tone slightly exasperated.

'How much are you willing to pay me?'

'Nothing until I know what it is you have, luv.'

'If you pay my train fare to London I'll bring it to you.'

'Ok, you come here and I'll give you the train fare. We'll then discuss money when you get here.'

'I'll be there on the next train.'

He shook his head in amazement, thinking this girl was obviously mad or extremely desperate. He gave her directions and explained where his office was, saying that she should make herself known to the receptionist when she arrived.

Maria was there within two hours. She'd caught the fast train to Kings Cross and by the time she arrived at his office she was in a state of high anxiety. He led her into a private office at the end of the corridor not wanting to speak to her in public.

'So, what is it that's so important?'

'Train fare first!'she placed her handbag on the table and stretched out her palm for the money, a greedy look passing across her face.

He handed her a £20 note from his wallet, which she grabbed off him. 'So, who is she then?' he raised an eyebrow expectantly at her.

'Her name's Lexi, well it's really Alexia and her surname's Willis. She was my boss until last week when I walked out before she could sack me. I was the trainee in the shop we worked in and I was supposed to do course-work as part of my contract. It was really boring and pointless and I didn't want to do it. Lexi wouldn't let me stay on if I didn't do the course-work.'

'Seems reasonable enough of her. Why should she keep you on if you don't fulfil your part of the agreement?' he looked at her, taking in her dishevelled appearance with bloodshot eyes and greasy hair and thought to himself it was no wonder that Lexi didn't want to keep her on. She was probably a liability.

Maria looked at him with pure poison in her eyes. 'Look, if you're going to take her side then I'll just take what I have to The Star or The Mirror.'

'Ok, ok, calm down! So, where is this shop then?'

'Cambridge.' Oliver nodded with understanding, thinking that was how Phil had managed to get a photo of her and Jason in Cambridge. Jason must have been visiting her for the weekend.

Oliver picked up a small notebook and pen and started to make notes. Maria filled him in on basic information such as Lexi's age and how often she thought Lexi had seen Jason. Once she started speaking, it all came out in a torrent of hate and venom all aimed at Lexi.

'So, what do you have that's so explosive then?' Oliver asked, pleased that he'd got to the bottom of who Lexi exactly was, because curiosity had been getting the better of him. He was amazed at the depth of Maria's hatred and felt sorry for Lexi for being the subject of Maria's vendetta.

'How much are you gonna pay me?' Maria asked in a low voice. She opened her handbag and popped a piece of chewing gum in her mouth to take away the taste of sour alcohol from the night before's drinking session with Kat, her friend.

'It depends what you have Maria.'

She drew the video-tape out of her bag and handed it to Oliver. 'What's this?' he asked, turning the tape over in his hands.

Maria pointed to the video player in the corner of the room. 'You'll see. Play it. But you have to agree you'll pay me if you're going to put the stills of it in the paper.'

Oliver nodded. He had no intention of handing over any money at that moment in time, he wanted to see what she had first. He slipped the video into the player and sat back on the edge of the desk as it sprang into life. At first there was nothing much to see as he watched the tape of the normal every day workings of a clothes shop.

'Is this it?'

Maria grabbed up the remote control and fast-forwarded it until she reached the part where Jason arrived at the shop. Oliver raised an eyebrow thinking that this wasn't exactly stuff to set the world on fire. She fast-forwarded it again until she saw the others leaving, then pressed play again. The video was split into three parts on the screen. One which showed the shop floor, one which showed Lexi's office and one which showed the stock room. Oliver watched as the staff left the shop and Lexi and Jason disappeared out the back together on one third of the screen. He then saw them appearing in Lexi's office on another third of the screen a few seconds later. Maria watched him to see his reaction and was satisfied to see his mouth drop open as Lexi and Jason started kissing.

'Switch it off I don't want to see any more. How much have you got of this and how explicit is it?'

'I deleted it after the point where he has her blouse undone as it's explicit, really explicit after that bit. They were shagging in her office.'

'How did you get hold of it Maria?'

'I stole it! I came back in the shop to get something and Lexi had switched the video player off, no doubt so they could shag in her office and not get caught. I switched it back on and then took the tape the following morning.' She smiled at him like a Cheshire cat, congratulating herself at her cleverness.

Oliver felt sick to the stomach at the thought that Maria had secretly taped the pair of them and then wanted to sell the tape on.

'Well?' she looked expectantly at him, her eyebrows raised in question. 'How much are you going to give to me for it? If you don't want it I'll be on my way to the Daily Star offices next. I've got their address and the Mirror's written down so I can go and see them while I'm here.'

Oliver thought for a minute. 'Ok, ok. I'll give you £500 for it.'

'£500! Are you having a laugh?' she picked up her jacket and went to close her handbag as if to leave.

'Ok, £1000. That's my last offer Maria. I'll be honest with you here - apart from Lexi and Jason screwing in her workplace, which her employers won't be happy with, in fact they'd probably sack her, they aren't actually breaking the law or hurting anyone else. It would make a salacious story and people would read it just because Jason is normally such a private person, but that's it.'

'Give me £2000 and it's yours.'

Oliver shrugged and put the tape back in it's case. 'No, £1000 and that's it.' An idea was forming in his mind and he had no intention of playing Maria's little game.

Maria realised that Oliver was serious and that she was getting nowhere. 'Ok, £1000 it is,' she sighed in resignation and shrugged her coat back on.

'Have you made copies of this?' Oliver wanted to make sure she didn't go to another paper with the tape, if his little plan was going to work. 'If you did, I want those too.'

'Yes I did,' she undid her bag again and rooted around in it until she found the other two copies, placing them both into Oliver's outstretched hand. 'When will I get my money?'

'You'll get your money when we run the story. Ok? Now,wait here a minute,' he walked over to the door, opened it and quickly walked back to his desk. He returned a few minutes later with an A4 piece of paper covered in writing in his hand. He put it down on the desk in front of Maria.

'What's this?'

'It's a binding agreement. I need a signature from you that agrees you will not go to any other newspaper with stories about Lexi and Jason and that you also agree to the amount of £1000 being paid to you when we run the story and put stills of the video in the paper.'

'Can't I have it now?'

Oliver shook his head. 'This is how we're going to do it - that's the way I operate.'

Maria shot him a venom filled stare and picked up the pen signing it with a flourish and shoved it back at him. 'Nice doing business with you,' she spat at him, hating the nagging feeling that he was somehow trying to trick her.


End file.
